Sir/Ma'am, first or last names

[Kimberly Davison]

> Rita wrote:
> > I suspect you're a Southerner (unless you live on a military base).
> > Children saying "sir" and "ma'am" to adults and adults saying "sir"
> > and "ma'am" to strangers with whom they're conversing is said to be
> > a Southern custom; there are even country music songs praising the
> > South because "we say sir and we say ma'am".

Me (Kimberly):
Yes, I am from Texas.  :-)  I didn't know of that song, though, I'm not a
country music fan at all!  LOL  I often wonder how on earth I was ever born
here, with my un-Texan-like ways, but that's another story.  As an adult, I
will admit, I do not say Sir and Ma'am as often as I did as a child.  I am
more likely to NOT say it to strangers or even extended family, unless they
are much much older, as in a grandparent-to-me age.  But it is definitely
part of my normal dialect to say it to my parents and grandmother.  It is
just something I was taught as a child, that it is rude to answer with a
simple yes or no.  As for my own children, they are 5 and 2, and I am
teaching them to say it to adults, but I find myself not really caring one
way or the other if they say it to me.  But I would never dream of not
teaching them to, just because of our society, they would be thought of as
disrespectful.  This has really made me think about those words.  Hmmm.  :-)

Re: first or last names...
Here it just depends on the teacher.  You've got your average female kindly
teacher who calls everyone by their first name, then you've got your older
male who calls everyone Mr. This and Miss That.  Then your coaches, band
directors, younger males, and "tougher" female teachers who call everyone by
their last name.  I've had some of each of those.

>Amy wrote:
> Calling all adults "sir" or "ma'am" seems respectful; calling
> one's parents that seems distant.  Here it is used mostly
> sarcastically, "Yes SIR!" meaning "Who the hell are you to give me
> orders?"

Me (Kimberly):
Yes, I use it sarcastically to my husband every now and then, LOL!  But as
far as distant, the way we use it is not in a "formal" type way at all.  I
would never say "Excuse me, Sir" to my dad, or "Ma'am, would you please pass
me the salt" to my mom.  If they asked me to go do something, I would not
say "Yes, sir", I would simply say "Okay."   I address them as Mom and Dad,
not Sir and Miss or Ma'am.  Mainly only when answering a yes or no question,
I always tack on the sir or ma'am.

Kimberly