How Do Your Kids Call Adults?

Ms/Mr First Name for friends, Ms/Mr Last Name for teachers.

I think regional differences play a greater role than "social class".

If people are older then me then my children will say Mr. or Mrs. and then their first name.
Funny, to me, story. I am 37 and just started going to college (eek!). I went to my first psych class and my teacher welcomed us to the class.
He is a much older man, probably in his late 60's, and told us that we may call him Mr. McKain, Charles, or Charlie. Are you kidding me?
Mr. McKain is ALL I call him.
There are a lot of young guys in my class (between 18-22) and they all call him Charlie. It kills me.

Mr. or Mrs. unless the adult prefers to be called by their first name.
I actually LIKE being called Mrs. S by my kids' friends, I think it's respectful. I've rarely had a kid call me by my first name.
I'm white and live in a mostly white, affluent, highly educated community.

Mr/Mrs/Miss Last Name. Sometimes Mr/Mrs/Miss First name. So many adults use their first names it's kind of hard to always have them use last name but we try. We think it shows respect. White, Catholic, upper middle class I guess. Plenty of kids we know feel totally comfortable calling my husband and I by our first names though. We don't like it though don't usually correct them.

My kids call adults Mrs./Mr./Dr./Ms. Lastname. If an adult says to them, "Please, call me Judy!" they will then call her "Ms. Judy." They are not allowed to call adults by their first names without a salutation. I find that a bit too precocious.

We live in Northern CA. White, atheist, upper middle class.

My children are expected to treat adults with deference and respect. They call adults Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr LastName, unless the adult instructs them otherwise. It makes me cringe when a child calls me by my first name. And I don't think it's a regional, money, or class thing for me. It's an upbringing thing. That's how I was raised. Lots of friends allow their kids to call me by my first name. I would prefer they didn't, but that's how the parents are raising them and it's not a hill worth dying on.

I defer to the adult in question and what *they* like to be called. I live in Portland, too, and I often ask the other parents how they like to be addressed. Teachers are always called whatever their class title is, and that is how I address them myself while in front of the kids. It's a sign of respect. Same with doctors; with older neighbors, I automatically default to Mr/Mrs/Miss unless that person indicates otherwise. So, while first name basis is common for this generation, I don't assume everyone likes that.

Mr, Mrs, Ms unless otherwise told to address a different way. And their friends always addressed me as Mrs. Its funny now that the friends are all grown up and mostly married and they still call me Mrs. I've correct them to my first name but after years of being Mrs. I guess I'll always be Mrs.

Depends 100% on the culture the people came from. Growing up in southern Virginia I called people Miss or Mister then their first name. Now I am I live in NorVa\DC\Maryland area and everyone seems to like something different; I am teaching my kids that you should always ask "How would you like to be addressed?" when they meet a new person. We teach them through role playing games and by example.

I am white, upper middle class, in a diverse neighborhood.

I preFer to be called by my first name. My daughter and her friends called me by my first name. My grandchildren's friends call me Grandma or Monet's grandma. That's OK too. Interestingly, my daughter tells her children to call acquaintances/not close friends by their title and last name. She let's them call close friends by first name.

We are white, middle class, and grew up in the Northwest. I have thought that the south is more formal no matter race, social standing or economic class.

Strangers are "Sir or Ma'am."

Distant acquaintances are Mr. or Miss Last Name.

Closer acquaintances are Mr. or Miss First Name.

Very close friends and family are First Name or Relation First Name (Aunt Peggy, Uncle Bud).

We're in Missouri, Caucasian, and Christian. Upper middle class.

You would think that social class would play a role, but I've met some wealthy kids with some real mouths on them. And I've met some very impoverished kids who are extremely respectful. So either there are outliers, or no correlation at all. It would be interesting to plot this and find out what the data shows. If that's what you're doing, do share your results. :-)

I am in Texas and it has always been Mr./Mrs. Last name unless it is a neighbor, friends mom/dad, etc and then it has been Mr./Mrs. First name.

Teachers are called Mr./Mrs. Last name. However, in my 14 yrs of subbing and active in my neighborhood where all the children go to the same elementary where I sub, I am often called Mrs. First name because some of the children only know me that way.

Mr Mrs Miss last name.

I NEVER allowed my kids to call adults by their first names...

If they did not say the last name, then, it was Mrs. C or Miss K

Morals and values have been going down the tubes since I have grown up---- I think respect is still important !!!

My grand kids call people who are in teaching positions over them by Mr. or Mrs. As for other adults they call them by name.

I don't like it when kids have to call me something different, like calling me Miss this or Miss that unless I am teaching them and that's what I've told them to call me. I think kids have respect for adults without giving them a title.

Friends/family are first name.
familiar acquaintances are Mr/Mrs first name
Lesser known adults/strangers are mr/mrs last name or sir/ma'am.

I taught her to call people what they wanted to be called.
The default was Mr/Miss First Name, unless they requested a different moniker.
She's grown now, and still calls my friends and her friends' parents Mr/Miss First Name unless they tell her otherwise.
One of her teachers in high school preferred that his students simply call him by his last name - no Mr, just Last Name.
Another had a last name that started with Mc___, and he told the students to simply call him Mac.
When she was growing up, I didn't care what her friends called me, as long as it wasn't said rudely. Some called me Miss Fuzzy, some called me Fuzzy, some called me Mama.

I'm a pretty casual person and was fine with friends' kids, kids' friends, neighborhood kids calling me by my first name. My mom was a first name mom with our friends ( my sisters and I are in our 40's and 50's and my mom would have been 82 now)

With my own kids when they were young, I taught them to call adults Mr or Mrs or Miss Lastname, and if the person invited them to use their first name, then that was fine.

I remember when my younger son was 4 or 5 and he went to a playdate at a friend's house. He came home and told me, "I have a problem. Korey's mom told me not to call her Mrs. B------ anymore. But I dont' remember what I'm supposed to call her instead."

My kids call people what they introduce themselves as. Most of their teachers go by Miss/Mrs./Mr. Last Name. Some of the early years teachers call themselves Miss First Name. Our minister at church prefers to be called by her first name only, no title. Most of their friends parents go by first names. Most of our neighbours go by first names, but a few of the elderly neighbours go by Mr./Mrs. Last Name. When I or my children are unsure of what to call someone we would ask "what should I call you?"

We live in Canada, are white, Christian and middle class. When I was a child in the 70's all children called adults by a title and a last name. My parents still also called their employers by a title and last name. The world has changed since then. When I started working in the late 80's my parents were quite surprised that I called my managers by their first names! I tell my kids friends to call me by my first name, although I am Mrs. Last Name when I work in the school.

ETA: I think it is regional differences, customs and norms. I am not going to make my kids call adults Mr./Mrs. against the wishes of that adult, and it is the norm here to use first names most of the time.

depends on the relationship & age.

my sons called my sis "aunt" until adulthood...& still do...unless booze is involved/they're trying to get her attention/etc

for all adults, other than family, they followed the adults' wishes...either we asked or our sons asked.

& thinking back, that's how it was even for my childhood. Some of my parents friends were called Mr/Mrs, some Aunt/Uncle, & quite a few preferred their 1st names.

Oh, Caucasian, husband/sons Catholic, middle class. & I'm 52/husband 60. Sons 27 & 18.

W/C/M - which I don't think should matter.

Authority persons - No encounter, but she has been taught sir/ma'am.

Neighbors - first name, but she has known them since birth.

Family friends and parents of their friends - Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Coaches and team mom's - Coach [first or last name] and Mrs. Smith.
The coach name depends on how they are introduced. Most coaches do not answer the kids unless they are called coach.

Acquaintances: Dr./Mr./Ms. + first name

Close friends: Aunt/Uncle + first name

She's only 2 yo, which is why I just have her use first names, but probably will have her use last names when she's older.

Whatever the adult wants them to call them. Usually first name, except in school, where it's usually last name.

I'm rather shocked by the responses here. It's 2014 people! What is wrong with first names?

My oldest turns 4 this month. She *always* introduces herself to everyone. And she asks what their name is. I have yet to hear any adult tell her Miss/Mrs. They simply give her their first name.

So my kids (3 and 4 now) call adults by their first names. And other children call me by my first name. I hardly see anything disrespectful or ill-mannered about that.

mr or mrs or ms first name if they're friends. if it's a professional (teacher, doctor etc), or someone we dont know well, it's mr or mrs or title last name.
when i was a kid it was ALWAYS mr or mrs last name. i bowed to the more casual conventions of our little slice of the US.
i grew up in more formal bermuda, my husband in baltimore, my kids in rural/suburban MD. we're white, of mixed religious beliefs, and middle income.
:) khairete
S.

Ms. Mr. or Mrs. First Name is they are our friends. Last name if they are not (like teachers, the mailman, etc.) I find it very annoying that my in-laws do not use "Aunt" or "Uncle" and have insisted that my DD use them.