It happened again yesterday. Same mall, same young girl all dressed in black, trying to lure me over to her kiosk with a sample held in her outstretched hand. "For you," she said. I smiled and shook my head and walked on.
"You can take it with you, Mommy!" she called after me.
I kept on walking -- but here is my new year's resolution: if she ever calls me "Mommy" again, I am going to stop, look her in the eye, and politely (I am Canadian, after all, lol...) but firmly tell her, "I am NOT your Mommy. Only one person in the world gets to call me that, okay? I know you mean well, but I think you had better think of a new sales pitch."
(Or words to that effect. But definitely "I am NOT your Mommy." Good grief...!)
What company does this girl work for?!?!? Seriously, if I was her manager and heard her doing this, there would be a conversation. Because wow.
ReplyDeleteThat is just creepy. That would make my skin crawl.
ReplyDeleteWas she Hispanic? She may have been saying "Mami" as opposed to "Mommy," which can be a term of endearment. I remember when I first heard it, I was confused too. One of my friends called her other friend that and I was so confused. I couldn't figure out how that could be her Mom since they seemed to be the same age. Haha. So I asked and then I learned it was just a generic thing to say, and now I've heard it a lot around me.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I still would not want to be addressed that way. But I thought if you knew it was probably "Mami" and not "Mommy" it might help you feel a little less uncomfortable. :)
Hmmm, it's a possibility. She did have an accent & a look that was vaguely Latino. But it sure sounded like "Mommy" to me. And it's still in the same category as "honey" or "sweetie," which both make cringe when salespeople use it to address me.
DeleteOf course, I also cringe when young salespeople call me "ma'am" too. It may be their way of being polite, but it makes me feel so incredibly ancient. ;)
That's what I was thinking, too. "Mami" is pronounced like "mommy." If she was Latina, it may have been a cultural thing.
DeleteI agree! I don't like any of those either. Including ma'am!! :)
ReplyDeleteYes someone has to say something to her! Like "why are you calling me mommy? What is that meant to mean?"
ReplyDeleteGood grief! (Sorry I'm so late to this.) Perhaps, "I think you have me confused with someone else."
ReplyDelete