[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: using 'Miss'

[Wren]

on 5/21/01 7:30 PM, Kristin at Alyeskakc at aol.com wrote:

> Carole Wrote:
> 
> There it seemed to be customary for kids to call grownups Mr.
> Firstname and Miss Firstname whether the Miss was married or not.
> For example, our very good friends' children would call my husband
> and me, Mr. Randy and Miss Carole (respectively.)  My kids called all
> their preschool teachers Miss _____ (it was Miss Angie at the time)
> and they called our friends Mr. Greg and Miss Lisa (even though they
> were Mr. and Mrs.) They don't do that here in Massachusetts.  Things
> are much more formal here. Down there it seemed to be a way to add
> respect to the casual prectice of using first names rather than last
> names.
> 
>> So in this instance calling an older woman Miss Pamela would be the
>> childs way of adding respect to an address rather than
>> disrespecting.  An adult should use the proper title however...
> 
> 
> I've noticed that this practice seems to be a Southern and Western
> colloquialism. I grew up, and still live, in New Mexico and most of
> my friends say Miss Pamela or Mr. Tom even as adults. However we only
> say Miss Pamela or Mr. Tom if we know the person otherwise it's the
> more formal Mr. or Mrs. Smith. To my best friend's children I'm Miss
> Kristin.
> 
> My dad and his family all come from the South(Mississippi or
> Louisiana)and they say Miss or Mr. as well.  However I have friends
> that come from the Midwest or Northeast and like you said they tend
> to be more formal and don't understand why we are so informal. Of
> course they don't get why most of us(here)drive pick-ups or SUV's
> either.  
> 
> Cheers,
> Kristin
> 

Where I live in the northeast, everyone uses first names.  Teachers are
called mostly by their first name, or occaisonally Mrs. or Mr. No teachers
are ever called Miss. I think the rule is that if you are old enough to want
to be formal, they figure you are married. Children call their friends'
parents by their first names, always. If I'm in a very formal situation I
will be called Ms. firstname and have never been called Ms. lastname. Adults
always use first names. When I was growing up, I never called adults by
(Ms./Mrs./Mr.) which got me in to a lot trouble in civilized areas. It must
be noted that I live in a town of 700 people all of whom drive trucks or
other strange vehicles..

So much for northeast-ers being formal. <g>

wren