Daddy, my name.

A few weeks ago, my four year old son stopped calling me "daddy," and started calling me by my first name; and I don't like it one bit! It happened after his first sleep-over, which included his three cousins who just moved to town (ages ten, seven, and five). All of the cousins call me by my first name of course.

At first it was cute, but now it's driving me nuts! I never gave it much thought, but now I realize I want my kids to call me some derrivative of "dad" from now until the end of time.

I figured I'd give it a couple of weeks to see if it wore off, but, the opposite happened. He seems to be reinforced in his use of my first name. The other day I started stopping him everytime he called me by my first name. "Please call me 'daddy'" I tell him consistently (several dozen times per day). I sound like a step-father trying to convert a child to their new "daddy" as a result; ugh!

I'll persist with the proactive cajoling as it's having some affect; I can't take it anymore!

Jud Valeski

Jud Valeski

Parent, photographer, mountain biker, runner, investor, wagyu & sushi eater, and a Boulderite. Full bio here: https://valeski.org/jud-valeski-bio
Boulder, CO