[livvie7586]

I am curious as to when this shift happened. When I was a child all adults were mr/mrs including friends parents. Now my children Call everyone by their first name including their friends parents, the only people referred to as mr/mrs are their teachers.

So at some stage in the last 30 years it changed but I don't remember it changing. My kids friends even refer to my mum as Pam but when I was a child my friends called her Mrs......

i don't know either. i'm 25 (almost 26) and would prefer to be introduced as 'Mrs F' (which i can then correct as i wish).

[OneProudMum]

elder, elderly - potato, potarto??

This post has been edited by OneProudMum: 20/03/2012, 05:07 PM

[~*MESS*~]

Mrs or Mr. It's up to them to say otherwise.

Even if I only know their first name, I will say Mr John or Miss Mary.

[Saecularis Angel...]

I am curious as to when this shift happened. When I was a child all adults were mr/mrs including friends parents. Now my children Call everyone by their first name including their friends parents, the only people referred to as mr/mrs are their teachers.

So at some stage in the last 30 years it changed but I don't remember it changing. My kids friends even refer to my mum as Pam but when I was a child my friends called her Mrs......

When I was in high school in the '90s I was unusual for addressing friends' parents by title and surname. Most of my peers didn't. I wonder how much variation there would be in this geographically within Australia?

[Milly Molly Mand...]

Livvie, i should have added that I'm 38 so a bit older. But you have narrowed it down a bit.

[jojonbeanie]

I would usually expect my children to address adults as Ms/Mrs/Mr Brown until that person has directed them to do otherwise. Sometime I know there are exceptions to the rule and the child is then to use a first name from first meeting. At my youngest child's school all staff are referred to by first name, family name is never used. At that school I would expect my child to use the person's first name. Quite frankly I don’t like it.

At my oldest child's school every adult is referred to my family name, always. All parents are addressed by family name by staff and all staff are addressed by parents using family name. I've known some of the staff there 13 years and we only use first names with each other when we meet outside of school.

Only last weekend my husband and I were discussing this topic with our son who turns 18 next week. We were discussing a neighbor who we knew would always prefer to be addressed by his surname when our son or his friends were talking to him. The gentleman is probably in his mid 60's but I don't think age has much to do with it.

I am frequently referred to as Mrs JJB by my son's friends. I love it. I turn 50 next month.

[CallMeProtart]

I am curious as to when this shift happened. When I was a child all adults were mr/mrs including friends parents. Now my children Call everyone by their first name including their friends parents, the only people referred to as mr/mrs are their teachers.

So at some stage in the last 30 years it changed but I don't remember it changing. My kids friends even refer to my mum as Pam but when I was a child my friends called her Mrs......

I remember as a child (maybe 10?) it was still Mrs/Mr so and so, but every now and then there would be some hippy or American () who we'd hear addressing other adults and their own parents by first name, and we'd raise our eyebrows. This must have been the mid 80's - perhaps that's when it was coming in?

[~Flick~]

OP, you said you only knew the neighbour as "Mary" so I assume you didn't know her surname? So what else were you supposed to introduce her as??

[Guest_Buy Me A Pony !_*]

I always ask old people and when introducing children to friends, I ask them prior too. This is only since I moved to the country and was corrected by a client who gave me his surname when I first asked his name. When I addressed him by the name provided X, he corrected me and said "Mr X". Since then I assume that older people might prefer to be known by their surnames and start with that until they request otherwise. We had to do this as children, but since growing up and working I've referred to other adults by their given names.

[julia*v]

I agree.

All of my children call most adults they know, bar aunts/uncles/grandparents, as Mr or Mrs X. My children's friends all call me Mrs Moss. I think it is inappropriate for children to call me by my first name. They are not mini adults.

Why do you think it is inappropriate?

OP, I don't think you did anything wrong. I have never once called an adult Mr/Mrs unless they were a teacher.

I wouldn't expect any child to call me Mrs V either.

I have a friend who still calls her husbands parents Mr and Mrs X... I find that one really odd.