Mr. & Mrs.: Reclaiming respect and authority in parenthood

Mrs. the Mom, over at Shoved to Them, has posted about how she likes thinks it is proper for children to address adults: "You Can't Call Me That!"

She makes some good points:

In a society where parents are trying desperately to be friends with their own children and their children's friends, it has become "normal" for children to think of and address adults as their peers. These children aren't my peers or my friends. They play at my house, eat the snacks I make, and tease and joke in my kitchen. I like these children, and love having them around, but they aren't my friends so I insist that they call me Mrs Frech.

She also has a cute little anecdote about all of this and the way her husband still makes her blush:

I recently learned that when my husband talks about my to people I haven't yet met, he refers to me in the honorific. "Let me call Mrs Frech and see what she thinks about that." He insists that these strangers give me the esteem he feels I deserve. Why would I allow the neighbor's five year old to speak of my in any way that's below the respect afforded me by my husband?

What say you all? Is this important? Should children refer to adults as Mr. and Mrs.? What about Mr. First-Name and Mrs. First-Name, is that enough? Is the way children address adults important? Do others in your cultural circles matter? Who controls this issue? What if one parent doesn't see eye to eye on this and takes offense to you correcting their children, how important is this issue?

Go to her blog and leave a comment regarding this issue: "You Can't Call Me That!"

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