Hey southerners

[GailMac]

Not me, but my hubby’s buried there. God bless you and Mary keep you!

Peace,

Gail

 

[Liberanosamalo]

I was raised by Southerners to say Ma’am and Sir.

I tried that with my kids and the rudests of Yankees I was married to said none of his kids were going to call anyone ma’am or sir.



So now where we are all the polite well-bred kids say ma’am and sir and I always happily point out to them in front of my kids how polite they are and how adults are impressed by that.

To anyone discerning marriage, make sure you agree on this beforehand. It’s the tip of a very big iceberg.

 

[shannyk]

Hmmmm I didn’t think m’am and sir were a southern thang…

I was always taught to use them if I was addressing someone I didn’t know, and Mr or Mrs so and so for any adults I did know. And I grew up in Chicago, my parents not southerners either.

As for the miss and m’am thing, generally if the woman is under 40ish I use miss. I figure over 40 and you’re a m’am married or not

 

[dawgfan]

If you’d called me m’am when I was 20 I’d have done this

:ehh: :dts:

A 20 year old should be a miss not a m’am.

Actually if you call me m’am now at 32 I’d give you the evil eye. My mother is a m’am not me thank you.

Ma’am is an abbreviation of the word Madam or Madame. Break it up into the roots and you’ll see that it means “my lady”. Its a respectful title that can be used for Ms or Mrs.

 

[cat3gs]

Why, yes M’am we were taught to say M’am and Sir to our parents and any one else Still do, even in my 40’s. I even find myself using it with the little ones I teach at pre-k.

I had a store clerk in California once ask me if I was from Texas. I asked her how in the world did she guess that because I dont really think I have all that much of an accent She said it was because I was so polite…I had to stop and think what did I say that was polite. I think I had asked one of my girls to do something for me and I said please and thank you. Please and thank you just come so naturally I dont even realize Im saying it.

I lived in Fl too for awhile and I will say that on the whole they were nice people but the store clerks were VERY rude. And go figure…California had the most polite store clerks. Here in south Tx I get a mix. Mostly friendly–some not so when you catch them on a bad day

JMJ

 

[Gaurdian]

We were raised to say Ma’am and Sir and have passed it on to our children. I think it shows an additional level of respect to others especially younger people to older people. It’s great to hear this type of respect for others. But is does seem to still be part of the deep rooted culture here in the South.

 

[KingAlfred]

How many of you that grew up in the South called your parents “Ma’am” and “Sir”?

I noticed my friends who were Texas born and bred always referred to their folks like this, and then did it to mine. Being from the Midwest, I really found it strange!

That’s one funny thing about Texas - there is both this sense of formality and super friendliness. Both were a little tough to adjust to at first, but now I miss it like crazy. Here in Florida I find strangers are rather ruuuuuuude.

I moved to Texas in 1998. I love it. It’s the neatest place I’ve ever lived, socially speaking. The people down here are, for the most part, *super. * I’ll never leave, although I’d like to move to west Texas, for its dry climate.

 

[os_justi]

I’ve lived in Texas for all but one of my 29 years; Yankee mom, Okie dad. I didn’t call them sir or ma’am, and other adults were always Mr. and Miss/Mrs. So-and-so. I had to think hard about how I talk to strangers now, because I DO call them sir or ma’am, it’s just not something I think about doing at the time!

One of my company’s sales reps is from South Carolina, and he always calls me darlin’ – I get a kick out of it every time; I know he’s not being patronizing, it’s just how he talks.

 

[DJgang]

The unfortunate thing is that this common, southern charm is slowly going away.

I hear far less and less young people using sir and ma’am

My children go to Catholic school, it is written in the handbook that the students are to call teachers sir or ma’am. You do not find that in public schools…

I’m in Alabama.

Dana

 

[perfectpeach]

I’m from Texas (born and raised). I do not refer to my parents as Ma’am and sir, but I do refer to my elders that way.

Texas is a super friendly state.

 

[shannyk]

Ma’am is an abbreviation of the word Madam or Madame. Break it up into the roots and you’ll see that it means “my lady”. Its a respectful title that can be used for Ms or Mrs.

Sure it’s respectful, but there are regional differences in how and to whom it’s said, that’s all.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

As for the miss and m’am thing, generally if the woman is under 40ish I use miss. I figure over 40 and you’re a m’am married or not

**
LOL, so basically don’t use ma’am unless the lady looks to be about 80 or ready to keel over…otherwise you are likely to offend an old looking 30 year old**