My 19-year-old daughter speaks English only. I’ve been Mom, not Mommy, forever. And she is one tough cookie. But just yesterday, she was feeling really ill for a minute and without thinking, I was telling her “Mommy’s here. You’re ok”. As soon as I said it I expected an eye-roll or maybe a laugh. But she didn’t. Maybe, after going out and living on her own for a while, it’s become ok to have someone who calls herself Mommy, in some moments.

You know, Kim, I think you have something, when you do realize how special it is to hear someone call you Mamá (or Ma, or Mami, or Mommy). We all kind of know this but we don’t always feel it in our bones. Until they are grown and gone…

My two boys, from a Latino Dad and me, an Anglo mom, called me Mommy during their youth and their Dad they called Papi, Papá and in later years Pops. I always found their shortened version of ‘Aya’ for ‘Abuela’ interesting and fun to say as well.

My youngest, a daughter from my new Anglo husband, called us the traditional English Mommy and Daddy (yet at the cool age of 10 she now is Mom and Dad except when she’s really tired or wants something from Daddy)!

I also call my mom different names depending on what’s going on: ma, mami, mamá, madre mía, mamita linda, mama mía

Vanessa calls me mami, mama, mamá and mamu. Santiago just calls me mamá.

Vanessa likes to give everyone apodos — that’s why she calls me mamu — and so sometimes she calls her father daddy, but she puts a lot of emphasis on the last syllable, so Santiago has copied her and now calls him papá, but also da…ddyyyy!! Just yesterday, my husband was telling them how he doesn’t like to be called that, he said: Yo soy ¡papá! Nada de da…ddyyyyy!!! But they kept on calling him, da…ddyyyy!!! Jajajaj!!!