When I was little I called all of my friends parents Mr. Friends-Dad or Mrs. Friends-Mom. Calling them by anything other than that was completely out of the question.
Now, even as an adult, when I bump into the parent of an old friend it feels very awkward to address them by their first name and I often find a clever way to avoid addressing them by anything at all.
These days it seems that, beyond public school teachers, the idea of calling someone Mr., Mrs. or Miss is an archaic thing of the past.
But should it be? Does this represent the erosion of respect for our elders?
I’m no parenting expert, and if I’m being honest, my own piano students even address me as “Andrea” but I don’t know if this is the best arrangement. It just sort of happened. Because I began my piano teaching career at such a young age and before I had children, the only person to have ever addressed me as “Mrs. Dow” was the minister on our wedding day. “Andrea”, therefore, was the default.
It’s difficult to change now, and I’m not sure I even want to. But if I were to change, what would I change to?… Miss Andrea, Mrs. Dow …And would it make any sort of difference?
What are your thoughts? What do your piano students call you?
Melissa Quilitzsch says
My students call me either Miss Melissa (even though I’m married) or Mrs. Q. I wouldn’t expect them to call me Mrs. Quilitzsch as that’s too formal for me.
Karen says
I’ve always been Mrs. Amberson to my students. I’ve heard some people say that being called “Mr.” or “Mrs.” makes them feel old, but I don’t feel that way at all. It conveys respect and authority (not harsh!!) and keeps things from being too casual. I guess since that is how I began, it just feels natural. However, everyone has their own sense of what works for them.