One of the moments I was dreading as a mom has happened.
I’ve gone from “Mommy” to “Mom.” At least according to Buddy.
It happened out of the blue a few weeks ago, almost like a switch had been flipped. One day I was “Mommy,” and the next day I wasn’t. It was startling. It almost sounded as if he were making a conscious effort to call Dr. G. and I by our more “grown-up” sounding names, and because it was so glaringly obvious, every “Mom” he uttered felt like it was being projected over a loudspeaker.
I thought maybe it was a phase he was going through, and before I knew it, I’d go back to being “Mommy” again.
But it hasn’t happened. And now I’m starting to think it never will.
One day, I nonchalantly asked him, “Hey, Buddy, why are you calling me “Mom” now? I mean, it’s totally fine, but I was just curious.”
And he just shrugged.
So what gives? Did he just wake up one morning and decide he was too “old” to be calling us Mommy and Daddy? Maybe someone at school teased him? Maybe the “cool” first-graders decided anyone who calls their parents “Mommy” and “Daddy” is a (gasp!) a baby?
And just to add insult to injury, he is now suddenly averse to most displays of affection, ducking and wriggling out of my grasp to duck and avoid my hug when I get home from work. I’m not talking hugging in public; this is happening at home (with the exception of his goodnight kiss, which he still asks for 70% of the time. Thank goodness). I’m trying not to take it personally, because I know it’s a sign he’s growing up, but this stings as much (if not more) than my new name, given how cuddly and affectionate my little guy used to be.
Sigh.
I know this was all inevitable as he gets older, but I wasn’t ready for it. At least not yet. (Although knowing I still have one little one at home who still calls me Mama has definitely helped soften the blow for now.)
But every day that passes without him uttering the word “Mommy” makes it abundantly clear that my little boy is more and more becoming a big boy. I guess Mom is here to stay.
Parents: Has anyone else made the leap from Mommy/Daddy to Mom/Dad?
Dollops of Diane says
Isabelle is 6 and she still calls me Mamma. I’m dreading the day she stops.