"David Stevenson" wrote in message
...

I find it most annoying when little brats in American TV series refer
to "My Mom" or say something sick-making like "I love my Mom".

What I am curious about is the word 'Mom'. Is that what children
actually say? for that matter do they say that yucky word in England
nowadays?

If anyone wonders what my problem is then I learnt 'Mum' and 'Mummy'
and never heard this word 'Mom' until a few years ago.

--
David Stevenson

Sorry to annoy you, but Mom is a common word here in the U.S. when referring
to or addressing one's mother. It is not disrespectful at all. In fact, I
considered it a great compliment when my daughters were growing up that
their friends addressed me as Mom. Because I was active in the schools, it
caught on, and some of the other children also called me Mom. I could go
down the hall and be greeted by, "Hi, Mom," several times.
To me, it meant that they considered me as more than just another adult.
They recognized me as someone who cared about them and the greeting returned
the affection in a respectful way.
One of my treasured memories is when one of my daughter's friends was about
to introduce me to her parents at an event we were attending. The girl told
me her parents' names and then blushed and said to me, "I'm sorry, I don't
remember your name. I always think of you as Mom."
I don't know how her own mother took it, but it meant a lot to me.
Mum or Mummy is rarely, if ever used here. I guess it's more a European
usage. (But, we Americans are soo uncultured, you know. grin).
Annie, who thinks being a mother is the most important career in the world,
no matter what name you use.