Are Millennials Changing How Kids Address Adults?

As a mom of two, my children interact with a mix of peers and their adult parents on a regular basis.

One thing I've been noticing lately is how these kids, including my own, address their friends' parents.

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What Do You Call Your Friends' Parents?

Are they "Mr. and Mrs. (insert last name here)"? Or are they referred to by their first names?

As a kid in the 90s, calling a parent by their first name was unheard of. You'd always say "Excuse me, Mr. Murphy" or "Can I have a snack, Mrs. Freitas?"

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I can only recall one man insisting we call him by his first name. It was one of our little league coaches and also my friend's father.

He only wanted to be called "Barry" and when we would start with "Mr.," he was quick to correct us.

Stuck on Tradition

For years, even through college and quite honestly even now, I revert to Mr. and Mrs. when meeting someone's parents.

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It's a hard habit to break after growing up knowing it was the "respectful" thing to do.

However, it's not something I've gone over with my kids and I'm starting to take notice.

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A New Trend

A fellow mom brought up the subject recently, saying she was trying to remind her kids to use Mr. and Mrs. and I find myself doing the same.

Typically my son, who is six, will start a sentence like "Bobby's mom, can I..." or "Laura, do you know..."

Personally, I don't find it disrespectful or odd to hear a child call me Mick or Michaela.

Is this the new norm?

Maybe it's the millennial in me. We're this in-between generation where we may have grown up with certain traditions and now things are changing.

At the end of the day, whether you use titles or first names, as long as the kids are being kind, considerate and having fun, that's really all that matters.