s/o - do your kids call nonrelatives aunt/uncle? - Page 3

[Freebies4US]

I think this is a good idea.  I do not have a big family but I have some very close friends who I would count as "family" and I tell my DDs that they are "auntie" or "uncle" and I think it is like a codeword to tell them that this is someone they can trust.  Although one of my friends do not like this and I respect that and my DDs call her by her first name.  A real personal decision.

[rumi]

Originally Posted by texmati 

we do this-- to the point that I don't remember calling any of my parents friends miss/mr or anything else. in fact, I was so suprised to be introduced as 'Mrs' at my first play date a few weekends ago.

I think it may be cultural though. (we are south asian).

same here.

[Honey693]

Originally Posted by lifeguard 

Dh & I always felt that there should be a special word for those people who "we call him uncle but he's really a good friend of the family" so we jokingly call our close friends Fruncle & Fraunt.

Fraunt and Fruncle are awesome :)

[JollyGG]

Nope.

My kids don't even call their aunts and uncle by that title. They call their aunts and uncles by their first names. They do call great-aunts and great-uncles by "Aunt so-and-so" or "Uncle so-and-so".

Something about kids calling people they are not related to aunt or uncle really bothers me and creeps me out a bit. I'm not quite sure what the association is that I feel that way. But I really don't like it.

[texmati]

Are you also of a different culture. Reading through the responses, I realized that we have different names for 'real' aunts and uncles. We use Gujarati names for parent's siblings, grandparents siblings etc, so aunt and uncle just roll off the tongue for strangers without a thought. I'll definitely keep in mind that others have different views on this. I was kind of put off by the 'Mrs' at the play date, but upon reflection, it was probably appropriate.

Originally Posted by rumi 

Originally Posted by texmati 

we do this-- to the point that I don't remember calling any of my parents friends miss/mr or anything else. in fact, I was so suprised to be introduced as 'Mrs' at my first play date a few weekends ago.

I think it may be cultural though. (we are south asian).

same here.

[stormborn]

Not really; my dd's do call one person "aunt" who is really their cousin because she has kids their age so it's more of an auntie relationship. To them cousins are playmates, kwim?

It does sort of bother me that dh was taught to do this as a child. He calls half the people in his church "Aunt Soandso" and after 22 years I'm still trying to figure out who we're really related to.

[atnightingale]

We have done this somewhat formally.  DH and I are both only children, so with the exception of his FORMER stepsisters (only one of whom we are in contact with and who has never met DD), our kids will have no possibility of natural aunts, uncles, or cousins.  There are, of course great aunts and uncles who have opted for various naming conventions, but only one of those families has met DD more than once and she ops for first name only.  

However we feel strongly that DD and her coming sibbling need trusted stable adults of our generation to be part of her life, so we have several close friends (couples and single) who we have asked to serve as aunts and uncles and who have agreed.  One of her "aunts' lived with us for 5 months during a move where she and her husband were in different cities recently.  This is not precisely cultural for us.  I don't recall calling anyone other than biological kin aunt or uncle, but all our families get it and accept our reasons.  

[Bellabaz]

Yep, my kids call my best friend Auntie K. She has actually done more for my kids then their blood aunts in the way of sending little things, remembering birthdays, etc. and she has come from a lot farther to visit us. She was there for the birth of both my girls. She is like my sister.  So they call her aunt and her husband Uncle A. 

[3xMama]

Originally Posted by MO_Bookwyrm 

We do this.  We only use it with close friends that we feel part of a family with.  Our chosen family if you will.

We only had one friend who was close enough to be called "auntie" and unfortunately DH and I had a huge fall out with her several years ago. But if we had other friends who were that close, then yes, definately.
 

[hhurd]

DS has several honorary Aunties, who are women I've know for 30+ years and are precious to me. Just a first name didn't seem like enough to me. Also, we've got adoption ALL OVER our family, so biological relationships are of less importance to us.

[odenata]

We don't have any friends close enough to consider this for our DCs, but I have an "uncle" who is not related, but instead a close family friend, and who was a larger part of my life growing up than either of my biological uncles. 

[MacKinnon]

We do this but only with my very best friend. I grew up with her and my kids are closer to her and her kids than to some of their blood related Aunts and Uncles. And incidently, I have a large blended family. Both of my parents remarried and I have a total of 6 step sibs, 3 of which we know well and 3 we hardly know at all. Plus assorted partners, it's a large crew and we aren't always great about getting that Aunt or Uncle in, when we see someone once a year.

[wookie]

Originally Posted by texmati 

we do this-- to the point that I don't remember calling any of my parents friends miss/mr or anything else. in fact, I was so suprised to be introduced as 'Mrs' at my first play date a few weekends ago.

I think it may be cultural though. (we are south asian).

This. We are too. It was just so convenient...we didn't have to know anyone's name. New person? No problem. Hello, aunty :D

Admittedly though, we had different terms of endearment for family members.

[becoming]

Originally Posted by woodchick 

We don't.  I never did as a kid and I never knew anyone who did.  I don't really have anything against it, though.

I have to admit, though,  I only have one niece- she (literally) lives on the other side of the world from us and I wish I could be more involved in her life.  I get a little pang in my heart to see comments on my SIL's facebook  from "auntie so-and-so".  It's totally my green monster coming out and I'm truly glad she has loving people in her life, but dang-it-all, she's the only one I get to be aunt to and it should be special! *wink, wink*

This.  We don't do it, because I think it takes away from the people who actually ARE their aunts & uncles.  But they have awesome biological aunts & uncles, and I might feel differently if they didn't.

I have a precious baby niece who is very near & dear to my heart, and all my sister-in-law's friends call themselves "Aunt So-and-So" on her FB.  I'm happy she has so many people who love her, but I want her to know she's my niece & not everyone in the world's.  lol.  That's probably ridiculous, but it's how I feel.
 

[Sol_y_Paz]

Yes.  However, the people are biologically related.