When I was growing up, addressing adults was relatively easy. Relatives were addressed by relationship, as in Aunt, Uncle, or Mom. Other adults were always, and without fail, addressed as Miss, Mr. or Mrs.
My own kids follow these rules as well, except with one or two very close friends who they address by their first names.
Increasingly, I am meeting children that insist on calling me by my first name. I find it somewhat unnerving, and a lot irritating. I am not even sure why, other than it feels like the kids are encroaching on my territory – placing themselves on the same level as I am.
As an adult, that bothers me on many levels. To some extent, it feels like a lack of respect. Silly as it may sound, I am 53 years old and I dislike a child I barely know speaking to me as a peer. Children are not miniature adults.
I see so many children that are undisciplined and seem to walk around with a mantle of entitlement snugly around their shoulders.
When I was growing up, you could be corrected by any adult in the vicinity – whether you knew them or not. Now, children run amok in stores and everywhere else, but telling them to stop running or settle down can get you in real trouble with the parents.
I think because of that, some kids seem to think that they don’t have to listen to adults.
Maybe the two are not related, but I think they are. What are your thoughts? How do your kids address adults?
photo credit: USAG-Humphreys via photopin cc
