can i help you, ma'am? are you finding everything you need, ma'am? thank you, ma'am.
needless to say, i cringed for a very long time when i was addressed as such. but over the years i've grown and evolved into the ma'am designation and have actually worn the title proudly now for decades. so you can imagine my horror as i slowly come to the realization that, when you become of a certain more mature age, you're no longer referred to as ma'am. now, you're called hon.
you want coffee with that, hon? anything else, hon?
have a nice day, hon.
17 comments:
Aw, that's okay hon. They could be calling you so many things that are so much worse. :-)
I hadn't thought about it, but someone called me hon just last week.
I think I know how you feel. Our equivalent to hon is dear, and on thinking about it, that's what I've been called a few times now!
Still, (and this is one of our sayings) it's better than being called late to dinner!
aw. did not understand.
I remember the first time someone called me "Mrs" - I thought they were talking to my mother-in-law so ignored them!
I have never heard "hon" is it the same as a word used here in London "ducks"?
hee! Reminded me of the first time some youngster politely let me out of the elevator, first.
I thought 'Hon' was a Baltimore thing, used by waitresses there for everyone. At least they don't ignore you as I found when I went into a store a few decades ago.
Xp
i cringe at the sound of people calling me mr. ****
they use 'hon' here in scotland too. i never thought of it as a senior salutation anyways. its kinda nice n cosy, isnt it? @.@
I'll take ma'am any day over hon! Around here, we use hon when we're trying to be condesending. Now days, I think ma'am just means female. Few people say miss any more.
I know what you mean. Last night I was out with a girlfriend, and the 'server' referred to me as "Dear". Oh dear, that hurt.
Better than "You old bag" I suppose.
Nance
Hmmm... The ma'am wouldn't bother me as this is how I address all females to the little girls in my kindergarten class to friends, and all males are sir. Must be a "Texan" thing! The hon' I'm not so sure of.I get called everything from sweety, to hon/honey, to darlin (all from people I don't know)... I just tell myself it's because I'm so sweet! ha!
I am ashamed to admit but I do that too. Yes I call people hon. I'm soo sorry. I hope I have not offended anyone by doing so.
By the by I am 38 and now in the ma'am category. I can't wait for my senior discount......
No!!!!!! Not Hon!!!!! Never. I say never. :)
I got to the point where I may shock them by saying , "don't call me honey, sweetie, dear, or honey.. unless you are goping to make love to me!
Very interesting observation, Chris. I must say, that now that I'm at (imagine the sound of me clearing my throat, twice,) a certain age, I can use those 'huns.' Whenever I hear them, I soak 'em up, as if they were sweet syrup and I, a pancake.
Yes, Hon is a Baltimore thing - so much so there's a Honfest every year. I find it annoying being called Hon. But having once lived in the south, the Ma'am thing really got to me. I was being called Ma'am in my twenties!
I know what you mean, although in England it's full on "madam" instead of "ma'am". I recently legally went from "miss" to "missus" when I got married, and that took a lot of getting used to! I still go to tick the "miss" box on forms instead of "mrs"!
I've actually put a link to this post of yours in my latest blog post, here: http://modernwomans.blogspot.com/2010/11/tea-for-three.html
I am from the southern part of the USA and down here you call everyone Ma'am and Sir. Most assuredly if they are older than you and especially if you are under the age of 18. Not to say it is considered a serious social faux pas.
Children in the south call the female friends of their parents Miss *first name here* and the men Mr *first name here* (or Mr and Mrs *last name* and that doesn't change untill they are grown.
Women in the south call eveyone hon, dear, darlin' or sugar. We consider it a term of enderement.
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