Comments on: Will I Ever Stop Being Mama to Become “Mommy”?

By: Diana

Diana — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:50:05 +0000

haha! I love that! Yes the world shouldn’t revolve around them!!
Like you, I always revert to English when I get upset. I say “STOOOOP IT” (I actually hiss it, haha)

By: Olivia

Olivia — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:18:10 +0000

Charlie is 3 and a half and he swaps fluidly between languages all the time. Our situation is a bit different, as we live in Buenos Aires and English is our “minority” language. But I find that he addresses me as Mommy or Máma, depending on what language he is speaking to me in. We attempt to do one parent, one language, but that is complicated by the fact that my husband and I address one another only in Spanish (unless I am really very upset or ticked off and then it´s good ole American English all the way). I think perhaps as some of the children mentioned grow older and more secure in their dual language abilities, their moms will find that the title that is most often used in situations of comfort or affection is chosen, though that might depend a lot on the kid too. And I liked Diane´s comment about asserting the title you would like to be called, kids should know their parents have preferences too and that the world (shockingly) does not ALWAYS revolve around them.

By: Diane Kemp Lopez

Diane Kemp Lopez — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 00:26:15 +0000

I grew up calling my dad (American) “Daddy” and my mom (Mexican) “Mommy”, but once I started embracing my Latina-ness I changed the spelling and pronunciation to Mami, which is not so different. My 2yo who attends daycare also started saying “mommy” – I want to be “mamá”/”mami” and I told her that. I have never called my parents “Dad” or “Mom”, the more childish name stuck with me. I suggest we reinforce the names we want to be called, as a name, which might contrast with our “title”.

By: Veronica

Veronica — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 11:22:45 +0000

Yes, same here. 2 kids born and raised in English & Spanish, they switch constantly, but in private is always: ” mami te quiero mucho”. Most of our conversations are in Spanish. I think the key is not to force them and make it fun!

By: Casey

Casey — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:25:52 +0000

I wouldn’t worry too much. Our son calls me mama, but flips between papi and daddy when visiting friends who don’t speak Spanish. As soon as we get in the car and are headed home my husband is papi all over again. I think it is just the desire to be like his friends when thy are present, but when you get home you can be comfortable in your own skin, customs, etc.

By: Estela

Estela — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 21:17:11 +0000

Yes! We get the same thing from our 2 yr old. A few months ago he started calling me “mom” and I corrected him that I am “Mamá.” He already understands that everything has two names(englis and spanish) so he tried that out and got over it quickly. Now he has started calling my hubby “papa” instead of “Papá” Its not like he is calling him daddy but “papa.” I am pretty sure its because he is being exposed to English and for whatever reason is saying it without the accent but we are working on correcting it. We only speak Spanish at home and to each other but it is definitely harder than I thought with all of the outside influences. I hope we will always be “Mamá y Papá” even though we live in the US .