Posts tagged dialect

I have a dilemma and I need some advice. I’m not a snob and I love living in the North East but recently I’ve been having a battle on my hands

You see up here, they don’t say Mummy or Mum, they say Mammy or Mam. In my heart I’m Zara’s Mummy and that is how I want to be known and what I want her to call me and most of the time she does at the moment.

I’m finding it increasingly difficult though as Zara goes to nursery 5 days a week and all the carers are from the North East and so tend to call us Mammies when talking to the kids about us. When they make cards for us, it is always “To Mammy” written inside it and all the other children call their mothers Mammy.

I feel like I’m being a complete snob by asking nursery to refer to me as Mummy and write that in any cards but I feel like I have to because I don’t want to be Zara’s Mammy

I’m also worried that by teaching Zara to call me Mummy I’m going to alienate her from her friends as she grows up as they will think her “posh” and she won’t fit in.

Also surely when it comes to learning to write etc they should be taught to write Mummy rather than Mammy as that is the correct way?

What should I do? Should I maintain my position and insist on being Mummy or should I just accept that Zara is growing up in the North East and so let her address me as all her friends address their mothers?