"🤓 Very strange attitude of parents (especially Mother's), where their own grown up sons and daughters in their 20's and 30's are 'kids', and insist these 'kids' address other individuals of the same age or slightly older as 'aunties' and 'uncles' !!!"
The above sentences was my response to a FB post of a young friend in her 30's, a mother of two little kids, where she narrates how a neighbour 18-20 years older than her 'corrects' her when addressed as 'Aunty' and insists on 'Akka' instead. Which is perfectly fine. Accepted. Cool.
But the same neighbour insists her 18+ year old daughter to address the young mother of two little ones as 'Aunty'. Very strange!!
I became an 'aunt' to a dear little niece at 12. So it doesn't bother me. But definitely find it strange when daughter's (and son's) of women whom I fondly call 'Chechi' (although they are old enough to be my mother!!) insist their own daughters (just a decade or so younger than me) address me as 'Aunty'!! Needless to say it's outright shocking when husband's of these daughters also address us as Aunty!!🤔🙄🥴
In fact, when I landed in Kerala 10 years ago, I was also reprimanded, albeit very sweetly, 'Please don't call me Aunty. Call me Chechi' by a lady 20 years older than me. Perfectly fine. It's wonderful when people are open about their feelings about how they would like to be addressed. But somehow I didn't have the heart to say 'Mujhe Aunty mat kaho' (in that Kareena filmy style!!) to that lady's daughter and son-in-law just a few years younger than me! In fact, I could sense the couple cringe each time they would address me thus! Perhaps 'forced' to!
Just saying.These things hardly matter! Really. But find it strange, especially when in our Indian languages there are so many respectful ways to address persons older than us by a few years and a few decades! For instance, Chechi, Akka, Didi, Behen, Athya, Vahini, etc. Or Amma, Maushi, Ajji, etc for older people. And of course the ubiquitous 'Aunty'.
Or just stay clear of all the above confusion. Call every individual by name. Or make it sound formal by a Ms, Mrs, Madam, Mr , Sir.... Best!
The above sentences was my response to a FB post of a young friend in her 30's, a mother of two little kids, where she narrates how a neighbour 18-20 years older than her 'corrects' her when addressed as 'Aunty' and insists on 'Akka' instead. Which is perfectly fine. Accepted. Cool.
But the same neighbour insists her 18+ year old daughter to address the young mother of two little ones as 'Aunty'. Very strange!!
I became an 'aunt' to a dear little niece at 12. So it doesn't bother me. But definitely find it strange when daughter's (and son's) of women whom I fondly call 'Chechi' (although they are old enough to be my mother!!) insist their own daughters (just a decade or so younger than me) address me as 'Aunty'!! Needless to say it's outright shocking when husband's of these daughters also address us as Aunty!!🤔🙄🥴
In fact, when I landed in Kerala 10 years ago, I was also reprimanded, albeit very sweetly, 'Please don't call me Aunty. Call me Chechi' by a lady 20 years older than me. Perfectly fine. It's wonderful when people are open about their feelings about how they would like to be addressed. But somehow I didn't have the heart to say 'Mujhe Aunty mat kaho' (in that Kareena filmy style!!) to that lady's daughter and son-in-law just a few years younger than me! In fact, I could sense the couple cringe each time they would address me thus! Perhaps 'forced' to!
Just saying.These things hardly matter! Really. But find it strange, especially when in our Indian languages there are so many respectful ways to address persons older than us by a few years and a few decades! For instance, Chechi, Akka, Didi, Behen, Athya, Vahini, etc. Or Amma, Maushi, Ajji, etc for older people. And of course the ubiquitous 'Aunty'.
Or just stay clear of all the above confusion. Call every individual by name. Or make it sound formal by a Ms, Mrs, Madam, Mr , Sir.... Best!
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