How often do you call your child son/daughter instead of calling them by their name and why?

47 comments

1. I pretty much only call my daughter “daughter” when she calls me “father.” However, my dad did call me “son” sometimes.

   I don’t think I use their names a lot, though. I probably use a term of endearment like “honey” more than an actual name.

2. Zero. It’s like pronouns. You use them when talking about them to other people, not to thier face.

3. Never, I always call them by name.

4. I use their names. Maybe if Im joking around I’ll say son or daughter, but in conversation it’s always their names or nicknames.

5. sometimes I will refer to them as my son or daughter when talkign about them but I always address them by name

6. The only time that gets used in our home is in an over-the-top and mildly ironic way, as in, “You better get that right son…” or “You better believe it son.”

   “Daughter” sounds extremely formal and weird. Again, I could see doing it with an ironic British accent or something, but not ever actually addressing somebody like that.

   Everybody in our family has a multitude of nicknames, so you never quite know what you’ll get.

7. I use their names, but it’s a family joke that I get mixed up and start off with the wrong name and have to correct myself mid-word: Jo-Bil-Mary.

8. I have two daughters. I never call either of them “daughter.” I refer to them as “my kids” or “the girls” when I’m talking to other people or “elder beast” and “younger beast” to be silly. I’ll call them “bees” or “little bees” affectionately. And I say “child” in an exaggerated way to express amused exasperation. Additionally, they each have their own nickname.

9. Never, unless I’m being weird.

10. I call my son “my son” a lot. And by his correct name, but the wrong pronunciation often.

    For my daughter, she has a nickname (that she chose), that she gets called often. And terms like my love, my angel, my precious (terms her brother hates to be called but I occasionally accidentally say to him)

    Both kids get called “my child” a lot by me.

11. Not a parent, but my parents never called me son, they’d just use my name. It’s the same thing on TV shows with siblings calling each other brother or sister. Anyone who actually has siblings knows that that doesn’t happen.

12. Never

13. Never.

14. In person? Basically never.

    When in a conversation with someone else I will reference my son or daughter, if they’re there or with them privately, really never.

15. I affectionately call my kids “kid”, which my dad always called me. When they walk into the room, I’ll say “hey, kid, what’s up?”

    I never call them “son” or “daughter” directly. That sounds odd to my ear.

16. I never call mine “daughter.” I think I most often call her “babygirl.” Or her name, if she’s in trouble.

17. I don’t think I ever addressed any of our children as “Son” or “Daughter.” The closest I came was “Kid,” which was used as a term of endearment.

18. My dad would say that sometimes, but only when he was imitating my grandpa as a joke lol. My grandpa would refer to my dad as “son” more often than not though. I think it was common back in the day, but no one calls their kids that when talking to them these days. I have never heard anyone else use son like that since then.

    edit: I hear people refer to their peers as son if its like a competition or something. “Listen here son, lemmy show you how its done”. Its always ironic though. And you probably wouldnt say that to someone you arent friends with. If you didnt like that person, you would call them something much worse than son lol

    edit 2: I assume you are talking about parents talking to their child directly, and not what parents refer to their child as when talking about them to someone else. Every parent calls them their son/daughter when refering to them, but not when talking to them.

19. Almost never unless we’re talking about family relationships. Then I’ll say I’m your mama, your my son. But I would never address my son as “Hey son!”

20. When speaking to other people, I use “my son” or “my daughter” with people who don’t know them personally but use their names with people who know them.

    When I’m speaking to my children, I use their names are something more endearing like “buddy”.

21. Absolutely never.

22. When he calls me “mother” in a mocking way, I call him “child,” not son.

23. I call my daughters “son” pretty regular…. but only when I’m like “hell yeah, Ol Son”.

    They hate it.

24. Literally never.

25. I tried once, she said:

    Don’t call me daughter, not fit to
    The picture kept will remind me

26. NEVER. When I’m talking to my daughter, I NEVER say “Daughter, come here” etc. that’s just weird.

27. When we were out in a store, I clap loudly 3 times. The rule was they immediately need to clap back. No shouting or running around.

28. When referring to them, I don’t use their names unless the person I am talking to knows them.

29. Maybe never. It’s what they are, not who they are.

    It’s why I hate movies/shows that have people saying “sis, or sister/ brother”.

    It’s so unnatural.

30. When they were kids I called them “boy” or “girl” sometimes. Nowadays it’s by name or nickname.

31. Never. It’s usually ‘whatever your name is’ or ‘girl-child (1 or 2)’.

32. Never.

33. Oh gosh. Never.

34. Sometimes my dad and I joke around on the phone and call each other Father and Daughter.

35. Human daughter get over here

36. I call my son one of two version of his name or baby boy

37. I call them “son” when I am messing with them or joking around.

38. I always call my daughter by her name. My son gets called ‘son’ maybe once or twice a day. I call him that because he is so bright. He turns 3 in December and he really is cool as shit. He got complimented today on his Beastie Boys tshirt.

39. Not a parent but as a daughter, i don’t think either of my parents have ever called me “daughter”, maybe when talking about me to someone else but never to me.. seems weird.

40. Never. I call my son by his name or any one of his numerous nicknames.

41. I don’t. I will refer to them various ways when talking to other people, but I use their names or a nickname when talking to them.

42. Only when I’m delivering stilted, expository dialogue in a poorly written movie.

43. Half and half with my son.

    Son is a term of endearment depending on use. So I guess I just use terms of endearment half the time. I don’t call my daughter daughter, but she has other names. Shit, he has other names.

    I tend to give the people I love nicknames.

44. I call my sons ‘son’ typically only when telling them that I love them. As in ‘i love you son’. I make a particular effort to say ‘son ‘ every time with my stepson. His dad is completely out of the picture so I like having some assurance he knows I think that about him.

    I call my daughter “sweetheart” every time. No matter what

45. Never. But my brother in law calls his two sons “son” often. It feels natural and fine. He also calls them by their names.

46. I would occasionally jokingly call my mother “mother” and she would reply “daughter”. Outside of a joking/silly context it would never happen lmao

47. I call my son “son” all the time. Unless I’m trying to get his attention in a crowd or something (that’d be weird). Things like “Goodnight, son” or “I love you, son”. It’s a pretty common but somewhat old fashioned way to address your son, and some use it for young boys that aren’t related to them.

    My (infant) daughter I call “sweetheart” or “baby girl” (while she’s actually a baby).

    I like to give people pet names. I call my spouse by his full first name, my mom is “devil woman” (long story), my sister is “catwoman” (a name I gave her when she was a baby; Batman was a big thing that year).