When it comes to being addressed by children, I prefer "Mrs. Tierney" to "Kendra." I also prefer "Mrs. Tierney" to "Miss Kendra," on account of me having all these kids and preferring to give off more of a married vibe (although I do secretly like the Austen-ness of Miss Kendra, but I'm the oldest, so I'd be Miss Dosé . . . aaaaand this is kinda getting away from me).
But anyway, if you've ever introduced me to your kids as Kendra or Miss Kendra, please don't worry that I was looking at you like this on the inside:
It's fine, your kids can address me as you prefer. But I'll continue to prefer Mrs. Tierney, and MY kids will continue to be instructed to address you as Mr. or Mrs. Jones even if you introduce yourself to them as Steve, or Susie, or The Hulk.
Because I really do think that Mr. and Mrs. are a superior form of address for kids to use. Here's how I see it:
1. First names are NOT magically easier for kids to pronounce.
I'm not sure why, but everyone seems to think that they're doing your kids a favor if they introduce themselves by their first name. It's an odd assumption to make that somehow three year olds are capable of pronouncing first names, but not last names. It just doesn't make sense.
2. While I'm all for expecting the best from my kids, I actually find that it's much simpler for them to just have to remember one name per family.
It is easier for kids to put the members of a family into one group with one name, rather than be expected to remember individual names for each person. They know the last names of their friends, and they know which mom and dad go with which kids, so calling them Mr. and Mrs. is an easy and logical extension. Why complicate that by adding extra first names to the mix?
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| see? complicated. but I'll bet they'll ALL turn around if you just shout "Weasley!" |
3. It takes away some of the specialness of their peer relationships if we insist on the same level of informality in child-adult relationships.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't really need to be best buddies with your kids. And if not knowing first names puts a bit of a distance between my kids and the parents of their friends, I'm okay with that, too. I like the idea of the form of address being different between people who have different sorts of relationships with each other: Gramma vs Billy vs Aunt Mary vs Mr. Smith. Because different things are different and that's okay.
So that's how we roll, Mister.
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And hey! It's Sunday again. Here's what I wore to Mass:
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| Stretchy Dress, from a couple Easters back: Target; Stretchy Skirt: because just about every dress I own is two inches too short: Ann Taylor Loft; Shoes: DSW; Earrings, Necklace, Bracelet: Murano glass (a souvenir); Bump: 27 weeks |
And if you've read the How I Met My Husband post, you may be interested to know that those are they very steps upon which I received the ammo can!
Linking up with the ladies at Fine Linen and Purple for another What I Wore Sunday. Have a lovely day!