Most Americans call their parents Mom and Dad as I always did, but my ex-husband always called his Mother by her first name "Irene." They were close and had a wonderful relationship along with a really unique respect for each other, so I asked her why. Her answer could come closer to Johnny's situation than anything else I've heard here so far.

She said when he was little he heard her referred to as "Irene" by everybody (including her husband - quite naturally a father usually calls the mother "Mom" to his kids, but hers didn't.) Anyway, he just started calling her Irene and she couldn't think of any reason to say that was wrong, so she didn't correct him.

My Mom would have been outraged, but I kind of respected the difference then as I do now.

Pamela