Southern Rule #1
Let me be clear. This is not "the most important number one Southern rule." It's "the first Southern rule I'm going to share with you during the course of this blog.
As children, we are raised to refer to the parents of our friends as "Miss or Mr. Firstname". And for women, it's always "Miss". Nevermind that they're married with five kids, it's "Miss". Honestly? It's just easier to say.
"Mrs. or Mr. Lastname" is just too formal. We're not big on that kind of formality.
I know as an adult I cringe at being called "Mrs. Rosenblatt." That makes me feel old. But if a kid took to calling me "Miss Tracy," I'd be cool with that.
We also find it acceptable to refer to people we're not related to as "Aunt" or "Uncle". Growing up, there was a childless couple, older, who loved having us around. They weren't related to anyone on the street, but they were known far and wide as "Aunt Joyce and Uncle Charlie".*
Likewise, I'm known as "Auntie Tracy" to several children in New Orleans. Er, formerly of New Orleans. To several children currently residing in Bossier City. Sigh.
Anyway, thus endeth the lesson.
* All the neighborhood kids would hang out at their place. Weekends we'd occasionally do sleepovers. It all just makes me wonder - in today's world, would parents find that acceptable or creepy enough to make them call the authorities?
As children, we are raised to refer to the parents of our friends as "Miss or Mr. Firstname". And for women, it's always "Miss". Nevermind that they're married with five kids, it's "Miss". Honestly? It's just easier to say.
"Mrs. or Mr. Lastname" is just too formal. We're not big on that kind of formality.
I know as an adult I cringe at being called "Mrs. Rosenblatt." That makes me feel old. But if a kid took to calling me "Miss Tracy," I'd be cool with that.
We also find it acceptable to refer to people we're not related to as "Aunt" or "Uncle". Growing up, there was a childless couple, older, who loved having us around. They weren't related to anyone on the street, but they were known far and wide as "Aunt Joyce and Uncle Charlie".*
Likewise, I'm known as "Auntie Tracy" to several children in New Orleans. Er, formerly of New Orleans. To several children currently residing in Bossier City. Sigh.
Anyway, thus endeth the lesson.
* All the neighborhood kids would hang out at their place. Weekends we'd occasionally do sleepovers. It all just makes me wonder - in today's world, would parents find that acceptable or creepy enough to make them call the authorities?
posted by Tracy @ 6:55 PM
5 Comments:
At 1:06 AM,
Elizabeth said…
That's as true as having fried chicken at the church covered pot supper. :)
At 12:51 PM,
Bonnie said…
Ooooh! I called you "Mrs." last night! Oh no! I'm sorry. :(
You'll always be Miss Tracy to me!
Love, Miss Bonnie.
At 2:13 PM,
Amy The Writer said…
I don't remember specifically being TOLD to call people "Miss Grace" , or "Miss Mary," when I grew up in Alabama, but I still to this day refer to them as such. Their husbands, though, are Mr. Last Name.
Southern Rule #1 1/2, though, has to be answering "Sir?" when being called by your father who's elsewhere in the house. "Amy?" "Sir?" Because after awhile, you can make it sound like the most bored sound in the world, "Suuuuurrrrr?" as opposed to the respect the title is supposed to demand.
Or maybe it was just me.
At 10:32 AM,
~d said…
OMIGOD! I am so totally Miss Myfirst name!
Goodness!
( it is southern, isnt it? )
and how MANY ppl do not share my blood are my aunts and uncles. This is a good point...I like this entry...( ? ).
At 12:58 AM,
Penny Giron said…
I never really knew just how important this rule was to me until we moved to Las Vegas. All of my daughter's friends just call me by my first name, and it seems rather odd and disrespectful to me. My daughter, who of course was raised in te South, refers to all of her friends' moms as Miss So and so. She was raised proper!
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