+471 It's kinda annoying when parents make their kids respond to them with "Yes, sir/ma'am" or "No sir/ma'am." I'm not saying you should be rude, but you should be able to speak in a more comfortable way to your own parents, amirite?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Even if it is for respect, I think sir/ma'am is a little over the top.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Wow, ever heard of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Wow, ever heard of 'You should be able to talk to your parents in an informal manner about anything and everything'?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Southern hospitalty/respect extends to everyone. We call cashiers at gas stations sir/ma'am.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Thank you.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Not everyone lives in the South.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Notice the "we."

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Sorry, I misinterpreted what you said. Even cashiers? In the North, we never call anyone sir or ma'am, not even our bosses.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Yeah, but I don't notice it. It's just another part of our culture, like saying y'all.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I don't. . .

by Anonymous 13 years ago

It creates a habit, which is an extremely good habit to have. You would be surprised how much people will respect you if you call them sir/ma'am all the time. Especially important when you're meeting a girlfriend's parents :p

by Anonymous 13 years ago

you learn that when your older, when you need to be more responsible... (sorry if thats spelt wrong:/)

by Anonymous 13 years ago

You can learn a lot of things when you're older, but why wouldn't parents instill those habits into their children?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

i get what your saying, but your parent is ment to be someone you are yourself with. if i made my child call me ma'am i wouldn't expect to EVER have a heart to heart with them, or even be remotly close to them

by Anonymous 13 years ago

That's ridiculous. It's just demanding respect from your children. Would you allow your child to curse at you or yell at you?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I don't think its the same concept. You can be respectful without saying sir or ma'am

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Sir and ma'am can make a huge difference.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Yeah that's a bit...extreme? I respect my parents and all but...I know that I can talk to them about anything without that sort of formality.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Really? I always answer my mom with "Yes, ma'am". She never taught me to do it and I don't live in the south. She doesn't even like it when I say it. It used to be sarcastic, but now it's a habit. My mom and I have a good relationship. One word is not going to change that.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I always call my mom ma'am and my dad sir. It really isn't that big of a deal, I don't even notice. It's just what I do. My friend from the North who moved to where I live pointed it out to me and I hadn't even realized that not everybody did that.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I think it's odd how different parts of the states have different customs. My stepmom & mom say to me sometimes, "I feel so old, soandso called me ma'am today." Maybe its just because my parents are pretty young.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

If I said that to either of my parents, they'd think I was being sarcastic and I'd get a "consequence."

by Anonymous 13 years ago