So, this 2 year old boy i'm watching keeps calling me "Mommy". I don't mind that he does but i'd almost rather him not because i'm sure his mom would feel weird if she was picking him and and listening to him call ME Mommy. But, DD likes to repeat after him. It really has been "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" all day between the two of them repeating after each other. I don't want to tell him to call me Melissa because i'm sure DD will copy that. What should I do? Ignore it and respond as usual or have him call me something else? I mean, i'm sure he's in the repeating stage like DD is so he's just saying what she does.

By Cat on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:34 pm:

I'd ignore it for now. It's really hard for a 2yo to understand that not every adult female is named "Mommy" and every adult male is named "Daddy." When Robin was that age he called my neighbor "The Other Daddy." Our kids were the same age and best friends, and that's what they heard each other calling their dads all the time. He'll get it eventually. One thing you might try if you don't want to ignore it, is referring to yourself in third person. Like "Let Miss Melissa help you with that." You can still refer to yourself as "Mommy" with your dd. They'll learn.

By Tink on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:56 pm:

I'd ignore it, too. My mom ran a daycare and was Momma Debby to a lot of kids! I think it's normal given his age. I'd also let his mom know so that she doesn't think that you are encouraging it. I think referring to yourself as you would like him to refer to you is a great idea and worth mentioning to his mom, too.

By Amecmom on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:58 pm:

Ditto Cat. You can ignore it. That's what I'd do. You can also let him call you "Kaitlyn's Mommy" or some variation of that.
Don't sweat him calling you mommy.

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:58 pm:

Alright, thanks. Just thought i'd ask.

By Debbie on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 06:20 pm:

I would just ignore it. When my ds was 2 he would call all women mom. He called me me-mom. He knew I was his mom, but he thought of all other woman as moms too.

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 05:52 pm:

I wouldn't worry about it too much. At that age they say waht they hear.
But...if you want to start working on the issue, and don't make a big deal about it or correct him when he calls you mommy, you can start saying to him things like, "do you Mrs Melissa to give you the toy?" and to your dd, 'do you want mommy to give you a cookie?" They will catch on.

By Annie2 on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 09:04 pm:

I would interject "Miss M" or maybe "Mommy M" when referring to yourself. Shorter and easier for a child that age to remember and say.
Talk to the mom about it. If she refers to you to the child with the same name in the car on the ride home and at home, he will associate you with that name.

Having the child call you only mommy may be confusing to your dd. The child needs to learn the difference between a caregiver and his mom. This is a confusing time for him. Give him the name you want him to call you. He will.