As I was washing dishes earlier today a thought came to mind. I remember growing up in Hawaii calling older acquaintances auntie or uncle, regardless whether there was any relation at all.

Moving from Hawaii to Washington was extremely difficult for me. I missed home and the weather was such a contrast to what I was used to. The friendships I made early on was my saving grace. The wives of the department my husband worked for in the Navy were some of the greatest of friendships I will ever make in my lifetime. We were all so very supportive of each other and during our husbands’ long deployments, our gatherings are what kept me sane.

During these years our families grew very close. Our sons called most of our friends Auntie (first name) or Uncle (first name). Till this day these very close friends hold their titles with our boys. It was a great comfort to have this tradition with them. Especially since I missed home so much.

In a conversation with our son a few days ago, he commented about helping our dear friend Cassy to rebuild a shed. When he mentioned her name, there was no Miss Cassy or Mrs. (last name). Most of you will probably think it’s strange for me to notice something so trivial. Often children will call me just by my first name and I don’t think anything of it but we’ve always taught our boys to refer to our friends as Mr. or Miss (first name) or Auntie or Uncle (first name).

I guess since our son is an adult I can’t hold it against him. He’s almost 19. It’s just odd, after all these years, to hear him not using prefix references for our friends.

What are some of the pet peeves you have about the changes in your adult children?