"Mother and Dad"

[221b]

I think a husband calling his wife "Mother" was especially common in the North. In the same way that all the kids were called "Our George", "Our Julian", "Our Bets" etc...

Yes, a 41 year old friend of mine calls his Mum, "Mother", which I too find a little weird, I have to say

Isn't Mother the job description/role as well as the name? Especially back then?

Yes, I suppose it is, fathering a child just seems to relate to fertility doesn't it?!

Whereas Mothering has all sorts of other connotations...

But to me it still sounds odd when coupled with Dad which sounds cosy and loving. Mother just sounds functional, even more so when coupled with Daddy

[Ming]

I'm sure in at least one of Blyton's books, the father calls his wife "Mother". Can't remember which one - I suppose it was a Secret series book, but could be wrong.

[SecretJenny]

My 1st edition of Five on a Treasure Island clearly depicts the Kirrin siblings as addressing their parents as Mother and Daddy.

That's interesting. My 90s paperback has mummy and daddy. So obviously the publishers have picked up on this as being somewhat odd.

[Lady-candling]

I seem to remember that the girls in Enid's books called their parents "Mother and Daddy", whereas the boys - and George of course - called them "Mother and Father".

The "lower class" characters, like Ern, Sid, Perce, Jo and others called their parents "ma and pa"!

It seems very odd nowadays!