Expert: J.L. Slipak - 10/9/2007

Question
First of all, I just want to say, "Kudos! to all stepparents out there.  I have been blessed since my children came into my life. I trully believe the Universe gives us our children in any means they can, and it may not necessarily be through the womb.  My stepchildren and I are very close.  One of them is now living with my husband and I.  The other is still with his biological mom.  The children want to call me mom, but feel guilty when they do. And I don't want to hurt their first mom's feelings.  She is a good mom.   My question to you is do you know of any other names that mean mother they could call me.   Or a resource that can help.  The kids would like a variety of names to choose the one they like the best.  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello Willow,

I am glad to see a success story about stepparenting. Kudos to you! Blessings come in all shapes and sizes and even in packages called children (smiles).

Have them call you by your first name. There is no harm in doing this and their feelings towards you will not be daunted by the use of your first name. That is my recommendation.

However, if you insist on another name that means mom; allow me to offer this from a site I found:

"Mum or mummy, is used in the UK & parts of Canada (especially Eastern Canada), Australia, and New Zealand;
mom or mommy, in most of North America (especially the U.S.). Mommy is considered baby talk. Most adults in these regions switch to the term mom as they approach the teen years. This term is also used in the British West Midlands.
mam or mammy, North Wales, the South Wales valleys, Ireland, North and the East Midlands of England;
mama and ma, in parts of the middle east, Latin America, other Spanish-speaking cultures and The Netherlands. Mama is often used in rural areas of the midwest and south eastern regions of the US. Ma is a common term in various parts of the US including the north east.
In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply; maman in French and Farsi(Persian),maadar in Farsi(Persian), or mamma in Italian, or mãe in Portuguese. Mama, borrowed from the English, is in common use in Japan. In Hebrew the word is eema, and in many south Asian cultures and the Middle East the mother is known as amma or oma or ammi or "ummi", or variations thereof. Many times these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child's life. The word originates from the Sanskrit mothru or motharaha and has taken various forms all over the world."

From Wikipedia

Regards,

J.L.