Someone else's kid called me Daddy today

[RJDiogenes]

I was the manager of a Midwifery Service for fourteen years, and a disturbing number of times some of them would call me by their husband's name. Never "daddy," though. A couple did jokingly refer to me as "Uncle Ricky."

The creepiest thing was one time when I went to see my Niece in her show, and the woman at the food table looked at me and my Sister and said, "What a cute couple."

 

[Shatnertage]

At about a year old, a couple of kids would say "Da Da" when I played with them, but it wasn't really clear whether I was just reminding them of their dad, or they wanted their dad, or thought that any ultra cool-looking guy was called dad. This was the first time that a kid said it and really meant it, in her own way.

 

[Kestra]

When I was young, I didn't really know my grandfather because he was in India most of the time. The woman who took care of me during the day would show me a picture of him and say "And this is Dadu" (Dadu is what I call my grandfather) just to remind me of what he looked like. She said she took me to a playground once and I ran up to some random man yelling "Dadu!" quite joyfully. Poor guy.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

The little girl who used to live across the road got very little love or attention from her mother. Her mother wouldn't even go down at lunch time and walk her daughter home from kindergarten though she would go at 3pm and pick up her son (18 months older) because he was afraid to walk home alone. The little girl used to walk home alone, though most times she walked along side me and my son who was in the special kindergarten i.e not the same class as the girl. However she would run ahead of me as we reached her street because she was afraid. of getting into trouble for talking to me.

About a year later I was on better terms with her mother (who had recently had a baby) and I used to walk both children home with her permission. Sometimes I would take her children to the park after school. One day I told the little girl I would buy an icypole (popsicle) and then take her to the park. We were waiting for her brother and I heard her tell some girls that her "Mummy was going to buy her an icypole'. One the way to the shop I said "Rachel I am not your mother". She said "I know, nut i can pretend you are". I later learnt that she whad been passing me off as her mother for some time (both to children in her class and their parents). I was deeply touched but saddened as well.

Sweet mercy that's sad. Good on you, Miss Chicken, for taking her under, uh, your wing, as it were.

Oh yes. I second that.

 

[TorontoTrekker]

Also, a young woman's “daddy” isn’t necessarily her father! Some of you old codgers surely remember when “sugar daddy” was a common term.

I wouldn't say it's common, but it's not unheard of for it to be used in the gay community.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Sweet, but, yes, a little awkward.

Years ago, a 7-year-old neighbor wanted me to call me Mommy, but I couldn't let her. Real mommy lived almost next door and already resented that her kids were so attached to me. Of course, if she'd been taking good care of them instead of chasing drugs, they wouldn't have become so attached to me in the first place. I eventually had to call child protective services on her.