What do Italian mothers call their kids?

VERY ITalian here...but no one in my family does this...my Cuban and Puerto Rican friends do though (mami/papi).

Definitely not just a Philly thing - I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY (have since moved) and everyone in my family and all the other Italian family's in the neighborhood did the same. Other Italian families from other Brooklyn neighborhoods did the same for as long as I can remember. I know of many Italian families now (as a parent in NJ) who do the same - I always assumed all Italian families were the same since I've heard it so often in different places. All siblings were called "mommy" by the Mom, though, not just girls. My Grandma, straight from Italy, called all her grandchildren "gramma" - it seems to be, from my experience, mostly the women who do it.

I'm Italian and have never heard of this before.

Wow, sounds like it is more of an East Coast (NY/NJ) thing then.

My whole Puerto Rican family has never once used the whole mami/papi thing for family. I haven't heard it locally either.

My fiance is from the sterotypical Italian family from NYC. The first time I heard his mom call him "mommy", I was a bit weirded out. I've gotten used to it now though and it doesn't bother me as much. Still seems strange to this midwest girl.

I'm Italian and from South Jersey, right outside of Philly. My Mom always called me Mom. My male Italian Philly friend calls his son Dad. I have a friend that calls her son Dad. And this is really bad, I call my little 3 year old SON MOM.

My maternal grandparents are from Italy. My DM is born and raised South Philly Italian. I have never heard of this, even when we visit my Uncles and my Mom's friends in South Philly they never call their children mommy or daddy.

I'm Italian and never heard of that. My parents have always called each other 'mom' and 'dad', but that's the extent of it. I didn't even know they had real names until I was probably 10!

We never said that, but my mom used to call me "gagootz". I always thought she made it up until I saw it on The Sopranos once!

crazyme5kids said:

Haven't heard it from any of the Italians I've known, but I do hear it with hispanics.

I have a friend fom Puerto Rico who calls her daughter Moomy.

Kristen

Born in Brooklyn, raised on Long Island & I was "mommie" too. Now I call my DS's "Mommie." But that's just an endearing term like "from my heart" type of meaning. I know I get weird looks when I should say "what's wrong Mommie?" But who cares. It's a traditional endearing term. My Mom's family (who originated in Sicily) all do that.

yepp...i'm italian, and i call my daughters mommy sometimes...its a term of endearment

I'm not Italian and my mother called me "Mama" "Mommele"(that's Yiddish) "Mamochka" (that's Russian) and I call my daughters the same. Gee, can you tell my ethnic background?

It was always explained to me that the closest, dearest thing in the world is your mother, so that is what you call your children.

Yes, I think the Olive Garden is crap.

Oh, sorry, that was not the questions was it?

We didn't do that in my family. My grandmother called all her grandaughters Mary even though only half of us had that it our names.

Sleepy said:

Very odd. Maybe it is just a "family" thing as I live in a small town outside Naples and I also travel on a daily basis and interact with Italians in downtown Naples and I have yet to find anyone who call their child, etc something other than the correct term. Mom is mom, children are refered to as son/daughter, little one, handsome/beautiful, or by name, etc.

I don't know that it is a "Napolitan thing". I referenced that part of my backround as an Italian because I seem to be the only non-NYC or South Philly Italian that has heard this from. I wondered if those that have experienced this came from the same type of small, rural town backround.

Have you lived in Naples all your life? The town my family is from is Mugnano del Cardinale.

Bella is also a common term of endearment my grandmother used all the time.

Goobergal99 said:

Looks like it may be a philly area thing LOL

We have Italian friends here in Toronto that do exactly the same thing. The first time I heard it was when the mother yelled it out to her son during a hockey game.

LBAK said:

The girl at our KFC drive thru calls me mommy all the time.

No one in my family does it, but they do say it in DH's family. I can think of one other Italian family that I'm friends with that says it. We're all from the same are so I don't think it's regional

chobie said:

We didn't do that in my family. My grandmother called all her grandaughters Mary even though only half of us had that it our names.

Funny you should say that. I saw Oprah a couple of weeks ago and her makeup guy, Andre (I think), was on.
Oprah made a comment that all the gay men call all women "Mary".

patrizella said:

Have you lived in Naples all your life? The town my family is from is Mugnano del Cardinale.

Bella is also a common term of endearment my grandmother used all the time.

I have only lived here for 2 years. I live in Giugliano, which is not far from Naples. Never been to Mugnano because from Naples, it is in the opposite direction from where I live. Most towns look the same. Lots of farmland and a central piazza/shopping area with small food stores, hardware stores, etc. Very much like a small town in America where everything is on Main Street and every store is a specialized store. No all in one shopping, but the Wal-Mart concept of one stop shopping is slowly creeping in.

Everyone is either called bella (beautiful) or bello (handsome). Even men call each other bello, which can also have a similar meaning to "my friend"...not handsome in an attraction sense.

I was thinking about the use of "Mommy" to refer to children. I remember my mother getting so tired of hearing us call her mommy a hunderd times a day, that often, she would just respond with "Yes, Mommy" (robotic repeat response) as a way of letting us know we have been saying mommy so much. Definitely NOT a term of endearment