Sir, Ma’am, Miss, Mister

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zeroturbulence said:
Nope, California. I didn't know you were from TX. I know people say sir and ma'am a lot there. It's like a southern thing.
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Texasgal said:
Well, you know, erm, my screen name is ‘texasgal’.😂🤪🤭
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He was too busy looking at the pretty face above the name to notice the name... ;)

(best excuse I can come up with for you zero) :D

I never really thought about it as being [just] a southern thing - maybe/perhaps it is...?

When I was a child growing up, I was taught to use those words when addressing any adult - family, friend, or stranger - as a show of respect.

Of course, in the business world, clients/customers/etc. are addressed with these terms as a show of a certain kind of respect - pretty-much whatever the age.
 
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GaryA said:
He was too busy looking at the pretty face above the name to notice the name... ;)

(best excuse I can come up with for you zero) :D

I never really thought about it as being [just] a southern thing - maybe/perhaps it is...?

When I was a child growing up, I was taught to use those words when addressing any adult - family, friend, or stranger - as a show of respect.

Of course, in the business world, clients/customers/etc. are addressed with these terms as a show of a certain kind of respect - pretty-much whatever the age.
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Thank you, but I have doctored it a little so the battle scars don’t show.😔
 
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zeroturbulence said:
iu
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Don't worry about it too much brother - I have no doubt that we all have had times when we were distracted or etc. and "missed" what was right in front of us - it is 'human'.

It is good to see you on the forums. :)
 
Texasgal said:
So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I don’t like being called ‘Ma’am’ even though I’m well into that senior section of life where such patronizing comments are to be expected.

Men, on the other side, have no problem with being addressed ‘Sir’, no matter how old or young they are. It’s a blast to them! Same goes for Mister. They’re all good whatever they’re called.

The bottom line here is that men don’t age like us. I’m 49 and men 20 years older than me can make me blush. I don’t think that’s the case the other way around…
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I'm not one for titles, myself. I don't like being addressed with titles and I don't address people by titles, generally speaking. I do enjoy calling little kids Sir or Ma'am. You can immediately see their minds go into overdrive on account of they're not accustomed to that.
 
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As a Canadian who adores Americans, I love it when men call me "Ma'am" . I knew a guy from South Carolina and he always called my Mama that when addressing her and occasionally he addressed me as that as well. I love it.. so cool.
 
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Texasgal said:
So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I don’t like being called ‘Ma’am’ even though I’m well into that senior section of life where such patronizing comments are to be expected.

Men, on the other side, have no problem with being addressed ‘Sir’, no matter how old or young they are. It’s a blast to them! Same goes for Mister. They’re all good whatever they’re called.

The bottom line here is that men don’t age like us. I’m 49 and men 20 years older than me can make me blush. I don’t think that’s the case the other way around…
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Just to set the record straight (for whatever it's worth), this man never liked to be addressed as "sir," though I try to keep in mind that it is often merely a sign of politeness by many of us in the South, despite the age of the recipient. I think I don't like it, because I will walk away wondering if the person said it to me because they think I look so much older than they do. Haha. And, yes, I'll analyze it that much more if the person that said it to me was a female. Smiles.
 
Texasgal said:
So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I don’t like being called ‘Ma’am’ even though I’m well into that senior section of life where such patronizing comments are to be expected.

Men, on the other side, have no problem with being addressed ‘Sir’, no matter how old or young they are. It’s a blast to them! Same goes for Mister. They’re all good whatever they’re called.

The bottom line here is that men don’t age like us. I’m 49 and men 20 years older than me can make me blush. I don’t think that’s the case the other way around…
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I'm 49. Sir I don't like. So I get what your saying. I don't feel my age. Just throwing it out there. To say understood.
 

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seoulsearch said:
I've never minded being called "Ma'am." I guess I saw it as someone thinking I was more grown-up, and not a little kid.

I'm in this weird situation now where a lot of women call me "Miss," "Honey," and "Baby," in a way that I'm sure they think I'm younger -- when in fact, I'm pretty sure I'm older than they are -- sometimes by quite a few years. :LOL: I don't mind. I see it as a term of endearment.

I also feel honored when younger women confide in me, because they often see me as a peer and not just an old lady! :ROFL:

I figure, I'll try to enjoy it while it lasts.

One day I know I'm going to wake up and no one will have any doubts about my age, which will be a bridge I'll have to deal with when it gets crossed.

(What happens to a person's identity when they've been seen as one way their whole life, and all of a sudden, no one sees them that way anymore?)
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That's a good way to look at it. I've got a youngin calling me "sir" on another site but it doesn't bother me. I can see it's out of respect, which is why I did it in my younger days.. and still now sometimes
 
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