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View Full Version : Does it weird you out to hear little girls called "mama"?



kep
05-02-2010, 08:28 PM
It used to totally rub me the wrong way, and I mean really skeeve me out. I think to me it puts little girls into an older, more mature, more sexualized role. It brings to mind teen pregnancy. However, I have a new mom friend I met this year who always refers to her two girls, (ages 4 and 8), as mama. Hearing her say it is endearing and sweet, and sounds much like you would say honey, sweetie, darling. And now that I have a little girl, I'm even more conflicted.

I'm curious what the general consensus is here. What do you think... appropriate nickname or creepy? :)

Corie
05-02-2010, 08:30 PM
I'm not creeped out but I do think it is a weird nickname for a little girl.

BabyMine
05-02-2010, 08:37 PM
Nope, it doesn't creep me out at all. It does bug me when a husband call his wife that.

hillview
05-02-2010, 08:37 PM
It is not a term used around where I live. I don't care for it.
/hillary

KpbS
05-02-2010, 08:38 PM
I have never heard this. To me, it is weird.

bnme
05-02-2010, 08:38 PM
hmmmmm. I often call my kids (both boys) mama. And my dog, too. It's weird, I know. But a lot of people in my family do it and I guess that is how I picked it up. And I've heard males refer to their children as 'daddy'. It's not that I call them mama as a nickname, but I will say something like 'It's ok mama' if they get hurt. I do it all the time but it does sound weird written out (not creepy weird, but I am just not sure why weird). I am feeling the need for this....:bag

infomama
05-02-2010, 08:38 PM
Sounds really strange to me but not creepy per se.

Melaine
05-02-2010, 08:39 PM
I guess it just perplexes me, not so much offends me. But I definitely wouldn't call my children that, anymore than I would call them "grandmother". I just don't get it.

Green_Tea
05-02-2010, 08:43 PM
I've never heard of calling a child "mama" as a term of endearment.

lalasmama
05-02-2010, 08:43 PM
I'm used to it... We have a strong Latino community, and they call their kids "mama" and "papi".

Would I call my DD mama? No. But that's because it is the title she has given me! I do call her "sis" and other nicknames like that.

The one that totally gets me is "Little Man", as in "You're Mama's Little Man, aren't you?" I actually read a study that boys called "Little Man" were more likely to be abused as they got older, in part, because they were being called a "man" when they were most definately still a little/young boy/child, and that they think they need to "be a man" because of it, even if they are 10yo.

momof2girls
05-02-2010, 08:50 PM
My sis calls her DDs that b/c it morphed out of "Momma's girl" to just mama. Incedentally, she also called her dog that (out of "Mama's boy" before she had kids). Doesn't creep me out at all. It's all in the way you choose to interpret it. I never for once thought of it as sexualizing her kids!

TwinFoxes
05-02-2010, 08:53 PM
I don't use it, but I don't think it's creepy. I'm very sensitive to sexualization of girls and I don't think of it. Like someone said, I think it's a Latino thing, and I grew up in SoCal, s it's not odd to me. One of our NICU nurses used that term.

I don't understand the study about boys called little man being abused. What does them needing to feel like a man have to do with them being abused?

Claki
05-02-2010, 08:54 PM
<<The one that totally gets me is "Little Man", as in "You're Mama's Little Man, aren't you?" I actually read a study that boys called "Little Man" were more likely to be abused as they got older, in part, because they were being called a "man" when they were most definately still a little/young boy/child, and that they think they need to "be a man" because of it, even if they are 10yo.>>

I don't follow?

I call DS, who is 6 mo, Little Man. Just because he is such a little man. Actually everyone calls him that because of his personality, from day one has been not very "babylike." I have heard his DCP call him that and they don't even know that I call him that on occasion.

My aunt called her daughter "mama" and I remember thinking it was weird and had to be confusing for her. ETA: My aunt is not latina, but my cousin is and they are definitely part of latino culture in Southern California, so that nickname makes more sense now to me in that context.

kep
05-02-2010, 08:56 PM
My sis calls her DDs that b/c it morphed out of "Momma's girl" to just mama. Incedentally, she also called her dog that (out of "Mama's boy" before she had kids). Doesn't creep me out at all. It's all in the way you choose to interpret it. I never for once thought of it as sexualizing her kids!

Well see, that's just it. I haven't been able to put my finger on what exactly was bothering about it. I do think it is a cultural thing, and I actually found it very charming when df uses it as an endearment. :love5:

amandabea
05-02-2010, 08:59 PM
I always thought it was cultural or a Latino/Hispanic term of endearment as that's the only time I've heard it. I don't find it creepy, but it's not a nickname I would use.

lalasmama
05-02-2010, 09:11 PM
The one that totally gets me is "Little Man", as in "You're Mama's Little Man, aren't you?" I actually read a study that boys called "Little Man" were more likely to be abused as they got older, in part, because they were being called a "man" when they were most definately still a little/young boy/child, and that they think they need to "be a man" because of it, even if they are 10yo.


I don't understand the study about boys called little man being abused. What does them needing to feel like a man have to do with them being abused?


<<The one that totally gets me is "Little Man", as in "You're Mama's Little Man, aren't you?" I actually read a study that boys called "Little Man" were more likely to be abused as they got older, in part, because they were being called a "man" when they were most definately still a little/young boy/child, and that they think they need to "be a man" because of it, even if they are 10yo.>>

I don't follow?

I call DS, who is 6 mo, Little Man. Just because he is such a little man. Actually everyone calls him that because of his personality, from day one has been not very "babylike." I have heard his DCP call him that and they don't even know that I call him that on occasion.

I was just saying that, as calling a little girl "mama" makes some people feel weird, other people (including me) feels funny about "little man", and that I had read a study about it a few years ago, and generally what the study said. IMO, calling a child "Little Man" can be done inapproriately-- saying to a child "You need to be a little man" can put a lot of undue stress on him. No child needs to be a little "man" or a little "mama". They need to be children. Not trying to be offensive, just pointing out another view.

I tried Googling for the study, but am not finding it. I remember coming across it about 4 years ago. The main reason I remember it is because a friend called her son "Little Man", and I hadn't heard a child called that before, and the study happened to pop up on Yahoo News or such right at that time.

m448
05-02-2010, 09:35 PM
Yes it's a Latin thing and there's a nuance missing when you don't speak the language. We say mama as in the English pronunciation and it's close to darling. The word mama Spanish for mom has emphasis on the last syllable while mama in reference to a little girl has emphasis on the first syllable. I've not heard the Papi for little boys but have heard Papo which is a generic little boy nickname and also the nickname for the name Santiago.

Laurel
05-02-2010, 09:41 PM
Yes it's a Latin thing and there's a nuance missing when you don't speak the language. We say mama as in the English pronunciation and it's close to darling. The word mama Spanish for mom has emphasis on the last syllable while mama in reference to a little girl has emphasis on the first syllable. I've not heard the Papi for little boys but have heard Papo which is a generic little boy nickname and also the nickname for the name Santiago.

Yeah, that. I am totally used to hearing latina friends use it for little girls as a term of endearment.

elektra
05-02-2010, 09:44 PM
I always thought it was cultural or a Latino/Hispanic term of endearment as that's the only time I've heard it. I don't find it creepy, but it's not a nickname I would use.

:yeahthat:

newg
05-02-2010, 09:44 PM
not creepy, but weird.......I think it's just what you're use to.

salsah
05-02-2010, 09:45 PM
i don't think that it is creepy, but i don't like it. just like i don't like our friends calling their son "boy" -- which may be a cultural thing for them that i don't know about. i don't care if people do it, they can do what they want, but i wouldn't because i'm the mama (even though my kids say mom/mommy). i just think that it is an odd choice for a nickname.

scmama
05-02-2010, 09:49 PM
Like some of the pp have said, it's a very common nickname in some hispanic/latino cultures. As that is my background, a lot of my family and friends use it in regards to their daughters. I grew up with it so it's not strange, but I can understand where if you're not used to it, it can come across as strange. My sister calls DN that all the time.

On another note, I hate it when my friends call me mama (I have a few who always call each other mama). Everyone has their pet names for one another I guess.

happymom
05-02-2010, 09:53 PM
Yes it's a Latin thing and there's a nuance missing when you don't speak the language. We say mama as in the English pronunciation and it's close to darling. The word mama Spanish for mom has emphasis on the last syllable while mama in reference to a little girl has emphasis on the first syllable.

Exactly. I am a preschool teacher and my assistant is Hispanic. She lovingly calls the little girls mama- but as you said, the emphasis is on the first half of the word. Doesnt weird me out at all- as a matter of fact, it seems so sweet.

Jacksmommy2b
05-02-2010, 10:01 PM
hmmmmm. I often call my kids (both boys) mama. And my dog, too. It's weird, I know. But a lot of people in my family do it and I guess that is how I picked it up. And I've heard males refer to their children as 'daddy'. It's not that I call them mama as a nickname, but I will say something like 'It's ok mama' if they get hurt. I do it all the time but it does sound weird written out (not creepy weird, but I am just not sure why weird). I am feeling the need for this....:bag

Me too :) Well, we don't have a dog - but I call both boys Mama too. In the same context, like a term of endearment rather than a nn. We're not Latino/Hispanic but growing up my mom called us all Mama, in fact, she still does. I have no idea how it started, but DH thinks it's strange.

SnuggleBuggles
05-02-2010, 10:09 PM
I guess it just perplexes me, not so much offends me. But I definitely wouldn't call my children that, anymore than I would call them "grandmother". I just don't get it.

:yeahthat: It's not something I have ever heard.

Beth

Octobermommy
05-02-2010, 10:31 PM
It is a cultural thing, at least where I am. Kids are called mama, mommy, papa daddy etc. It wierds me out.

nrp
05-02-2010, 10:41 PM
Yes it's a Latin thing and there's a nuance missing when you don't speak the language. We say mama as in the English pronunciation and it's close to darling. The word mama Spanish for mom has emphasis on the last syllable while mama in reference to a little girl has emphasis on the first syllable. I've not heard the Papi for little boys but have heard Papo which is a generic little boy nickname and also the nickname for the name Santiago.

:yeahthat:

Our nanny, from El Salvadr, calls DD "mama" (actually it sound more like "ma-mi" (emphasis first syllable) to my untrained ear) and, less frequently, calls DS "papi". She calls them both "mi amor". I never thought too much of it, as it all sounds sweet.

I usually call DS "bubba" or "bubbie" (which I understand is actually a term used for Jewish grandmothers, although I'm not Jewish), which I actually think is probably weirder!

Piglet
05-02-2010, 10:54 PM
Our good friends are from Mexico and they call the girls mamita as a term of endearment:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mamita

An endearing term used to show affection for a female. Usually used by a latino and/or directed towards a latina. Most common in family situations, or between best friends who consider each other closer than family.

Can also be used to describe a young female, like the way Bernie Mac calls his youngest neice "baby girl". The mature version would be "mami".

mommy111
05-02-2010, 10:55 PM
Never heard of it but it doesn't bother me or creep me out.

baymom
05-02-2010, 11:10 PM
Yes it's a Latin thing and there's a nuance missing when you don't speak the language. We say mama as in the English pronunciation and it's close to darling. The word mama Spanish for mom has emphasis on the last syllable while mama in reference to a little girl has emphasis on the first syllable. I've not heard the Papi for little boys but have heard Papo which is a generic little boy nickname and also the nickname for the name Santiago.

:yeahthat: I have a couple Latina friends who call their little girls that. The first time I heard it, I did a double take. But, now that I'm used to it, I find it very sweet....it actually sounds different from the term used to refer to the Mother when you hear it often enough.

BelleoftheBallFlagstaff
05-02-2010, 11:11 PM
For Latino people it doesn't bother me, for everyone else, it does....

California
05-03-2010, 12:28 AM
This is so normal to me, having heard it all my life here in SoCal, that it never occured to me that it would bother anyone! There definitely is a different way of accenting it when said towards a mother or towards a girl. I'm not fond of the mother/Mama Spanish version-- my son is fluent and when he calls me Mama instead of Mommy or Mom it's kind of a quick, sharp almost demanding sounding word. Whereas "Mama" towards a little girl is very musical and sweet.

s7714
05-03-2010, 12:37 AM
I always thought it was cultural or a Latino/Hispanic term of endearment as that's the only time I've heard it. I don't find it creepy, but it's not a nickname I would use.

It really struck me as weird when I moved down to CA, because I'd never heard anyone call kids that before. Now that I've been here a while, and heard the term used so frequently by Latinos, it seems normal. I still wouldn't ever call my own kids that, but I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't call their kids the nicknames we do use, LOL!

salsah
05-03-2010, 12:43 AM
does anyone know if those cultures that use "mama" for kids use a different word for "mother" or do the kids call their mothers "mama" too?

sunnyside
05-03-2010, 02:02 AM
I have never heard of this before and I have lived in every corner of America!

California
05-03-2010, 02:18 AM
Salsah, from my experience the kids say "Ma-MAH!" for their mothers. That is how my son says it when he's speaking Spanish. It is not soft like when in American English (OK, so not sure how to phrase that!) we say, for instance, "Mama Bear." It's rapid with an accent on the second A. I am not a fluent Spanish speaker though and did not grow up with the culture. This is just what I've observed.

JTsMom
05-03-2010, 06:51 AM
I'm sure living in S. FL colored my perception, but I've always thought it was really sweet, and it has never sounded even a tad sexualized to me- just the opposite. DS often refers to himself as our Little Man. Yesterday, he insisted on being called Daddy. We are about the last people in the world who would expect him to take on the role of a "little man", but I think he likes it b/c it makes him feel like Daddy, who's the current center of his universe.

ahrimie
05-03-2010, 06:54 AM
I'm used to it... We have a strong Latino community, and they call their kids "mama" and "papi".


That's how I've heard it too... I don't think it's strange at all :)

KrisM
05-03-2010, 07:05 AM
I've never heard that before, and it sounds good to me. But, it makes sense in what I'm reading on why it's used.

bnme
05-03-2010, 07:37 AM
FTR, I am not latin. Is it cultural for Italians frm Brooklyn, too? Or is my family just strange. Not sure why it is OK for latino's and not others? And I never thought of it as the the way some one may say "hey mama" on the street to a woman walking by. I think it is more as an extension of yourself kinda thing because dads will use 'daddy' for a boy or girl the way moms would say 'mama'. It may start as saying 'mama loves you'. Also, my kids don't call me mama. It's mommy.

mamicka
05-03-2010, 08:04 AM
Never heard of this, or at least never noticed. It doesn't bother me at all. I don't get why it sounds weird only depending on who says it.

MelissaTC
05-03-2010, 08:04 AM
I am from a Puerto Rican family and grew up being called mama and mamita. My Grandma used to call me mama linda or mamita linda all the time. My Dad calls M papo and the rest of my family call him papito. It's all out of love.

m448
05-03-2010, 08:17 AM
My mom calls her mother Mama (mah-MAH) while I grew up calling my mom Mami (MAH-mee). My mom called me mama (MAH-mah) among some other nicknames (same for my sister). I have an aunt that ended up with the nickname mami (because in DR it's short for a combo of first name, middle name). I also have several Papos in the family since the name Santiago is a family name.

Like I said there's a difference much like names in Russian being changed solely by their ending. I'm also a non-Jewish person that calls her boys bubbe while my southern husband has dubbed me forever Momma to the kids (he doesn't call me that but refers to me as Momma to the kids).

nov04
05-03-2010, 08:52 AM
Dear friends of ours do this, it was different to me at first. They're from Jamaica so I assumed it was a regional thing. Didn't know it was in Latino cultures too.

momof2girls
05-03-2010, 10:05 AM
FTR...my sis who calls her DDs and dog mama as a form of "Mamas girl" is NOT Latina, Italian, or anywhere south of the equator.

LexyLou
05-03-2010, 10:11 AM
My husband is Mexican, and as others have said, it's a very popular term in the Latino culture.

I used to think it was weird too, but I admit, I call my girls mama or mamas sometimes.

It's not meant to be sexual or make them adult it's actually supposed to be like "Little mommy"...you know how little girls like to carry dolls, and push strollers, and the like.

lmh2402
05-03-2010, 10:18 AM
i've heard the term used quite often...mostly among latinos. i've never thought it odd. just something that seemed part of the culture

and i often call my DS little man. and i find nothing odd or weird about that either

i think it's all just what you're used to.

JoyNChrist
05-03-2010, 10:29 AM
I'm pretty used to this term (I've spent a lot of time in Central and South America and working with Hispanics here at home, so I hear it a lot). It's still always struck me as odd. Not odd in a bad way, just odd in a way that it never sounds quite right to me and it's not something I could see myself calling a DD.

But it's definitely a term of endearment.

C99
05-03-2010, 10:56 AM
I think it is a hispanic/Latino term of endearment for girls. In any case, it doesn't bother me.

arivecchi
05-03-2010, 11:23 AM
I am from a Puerto Rican family and grew up being called mama and mamita. :yeahthat: Same here. My parents called me mama all the time. Perfectly normal and affectionate word in Latino communities.

giavila
05-03-2010, 11:40 AM
Not creepy or weird to me because I do come from a latino family and we hear/use it all the time. I call my girls "mama" or "mamas" all the time and it's just a term of endearment like saying "sweetie".
Nothing to do with sexualization of girls at all!

catroddick
05-03-2010, 01:58 PM
I'll admit- it weirds me out.

I hadnt really heard this used until I had DD. The young girl that shared my recovery room used it on her daughter, and it really freaked me out. But everything about her and her family freaked me out.

I have a couple of hispanic people in my life that use "mama" with DD, and though I do notice it, it doesnt bug me much- I agree that it's an inflection thing. But I have another friend that is not remotely hispanic that will call DD "mama" and it really skeeves me out.

All of this I keep to myself, because I understand that my feelings are not totally rational, and I know none of them would ever mean an ounce of harm to my girl.

kransden
05-03-2010, 02:49 PM
I've never heard of calling a child "mama" as a term of endearment.

:yeahthat:

Hispanics here call their child me-ha for a girl or me-ho for a boy, but never mama. Officailly: "mija" and it's the junction of the words "mi hija" meaning "my little girl," or, "my daughter." The boy would be mijo.

BelleoftheBallFlagstaff
05-03-2010, 02:57 PM
:yeahthat: Same here. My parents called me mama all the time. Perfectly normal and affectionate word in Latino communities.

For those that asked why it is "okay" for some to say it, it is because it is a part of their culture, the norm for them and their families. If I hear a white person say it is just sounds odd. I grew up in NorCal and the only people who said it were Latino, and at first it sounded odd (I was little), but I got used to it, and now I expect Latinos to say it. I would think it equally odd to hear a Latino DC say Bubbie to their Grandma, because it is not their culture. KWIM? I do not think it sexualizes or whatev. at all.

MamaSnoo
05-03-2010, 05:02 PM
I did not read the whole thread, but saw a lot of posts about the term being used in the latino culture. I leave in the SE, and around here, you hear it used by both latinos and African Americans.

I do not use it personally, but it has never bothered me.