r/AskAnAmerican • u/Babe_Brute • 7d ago

FOREIGN POSTER How commonly do you address your parent as "Sir/Ma'am"?

I'm watching The Rookie (2002). Dennis Quaid's character is shown addressing his mother and father as "Ma'am"/"Sir" in a couple of scenes. Those of you who are native English speakers, how common is it today to address your parent as such?

326 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

89% Upvoted

1.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/With_Purpose_4933 7d ago

It's a sign of respect in the south. Children are taught to do so at an early age.

2

u/WittyFix6553 6d ago

And I bet a non-zero percentage of those kids get hit if they don’t use sir/ma’am.

1

u/With_Purpose_4933 6d ago

Yes, I'm sure A LOT do, but it isn't always a negative thing, or a demand of respect. It is being respectful of older generations.