What do you want ‘ professionals’ to call you?

I would infinitely prefer to be addressed as Mrs + surname by everyone who doesn't know me, but there is no hope of that happening as long as I live in Denmark, where everyone uses first names and the informal pronoun and has done so since about 1970.

In English I have no objection to "Madam" it is and was a term of respect, which is why the lady running a brothel is called a madam. She was a cut above her girls.

I do object to "dear" "duck" "hen" etc. from total strangers.

Anything except babe

I like when people are informal. Especially with medical appointments. Makes me feel they are friendly, will listen and don't look down their nose at me. There is something a little frightening about very formal people that makes me feel like I'm that 5 year old child at school again.

At my sons' kindi the teachers were addressed as Mrs/Mr/Miss then their first name. As were dinner ladies/caretakers. I thought that was a rather good compromise as it gave a little reassurance and friendliness to the children but still a little respect by using the address beforehand. Once they went up to prep they had to use the address followed by the surname. And god forbid anyone used the first name of the Principal she was very starched

Don’t mind my first name or Mrs. Grandyma. Definitely NOT:
Love
Lovey
Lovely
Dear
Darling
Sweetie
Sweetheart
Poppet
Or any patronising term of endearment!!
Another pet hate is when I introduce myself by my first name and the other person immediately abbreviates it ?

When I trained as a nurse in 1982 we were told to ask the patient what they preferred. Then you do that.

Cock is very popular round my way!

If you see what I mean as in ‘orite cock/bab.

I don't care as long as it's not Madam. That is not a career I have had.?

Bab is a Birmingham term isn’t it, I haven’t heard that for ages! They use Duck up here, or usually ‘me duck’. There’s a lady in a shop near here who calls people ‘sweet’ which I think sounds most peculiar!

I like to be asked and hope that I always remembered to ask my patients when I was working.
There was actually a section on their admission notes headed ‘ likes to be called.’

When I was recently in hospital I was asked how I would like to be addressed by the staff and said I would be happy with just my first name. A note of this was duly put on a board above my bed. I thought this was a good idea.

As an aside, I would like to say that when someone calls me darling or sweetheart I actually like it as it makes me feel young at heart again!

Anyone who thinks we Geordies still call each other "pet" must be watching too much Vera.

I think it is best to be asked ‘would you rather I call you Mrs Smith or Katie ?’ then you can make the decision. If I get a sales phone call when I am called by my first name I always say ‘Do I know you?. Invariably the answer is ‘no’ so I then say ‘well, you must call me Mrs ....’

Well, I'm a Geordie, gillybob, even if I'm an expat one now (Yorkshire ), and I still use pet occasionally. Looks like the press up there recognise it as well. I've never seen an episode of Vera in my life.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/12-nicknames-only-geordies-give-16161028

Mind you, my first language was Pitmatic - Geordie's a bit posh for me.

www.moorlandpottery.co.uk/moorland-pottery-ranges/stokie-ware-mugs/ay-up-duck-tea-pot

Usual form of greeting here, duck is ok not duckie though that can be a bit patronising, usually accompanied by a tilt of the head and addressed to under fives who’ve just fallen over.?

When I moved home and got a new doctor she called me by my first name so I responded with hers. She told me she preferred to be called doctor and I replied that I preferred to be given the prefix of Mrs and my surname, unless I said otherwise. She got the hint!

Interesting Lully. My son attended a nursery to sixth form special school and the students all called the staff (including the head) by their first names. Except strangely one teacher. No idea why, she was always Mrs xxx, obviojsly her preference. And parents weren't always told the staff members surnames either!!

Jeez I hate Madam

Just don’t patronise me with dear, darling or ‘luv’. I prefer to be called by my first name, but I don’t like a power imbalance so I’m glad Doctors etc now tend to introduce themselves with their own first name. I am fine with madam, most common if someone is providing a service at a hotel or a car driver.

Oh yes, and don’t get me started on ‘hun’. That particular American import is all over the place at the moment ?

An American man on my train wished me "Good-day, Ma'am." I loved that. Thinking of going to America just so I can hear it again. Much better than "my love", "dear" or - worst of all - "lovely". Not even "MY lovely". How absolutely patronising. When we got carers for my elderly Mum I insisted that they call her Mrs....
Lovely to be in Italy or Spain and be called Senora or whatever.

Cock is very popular round my way!
I was waiting to see the nurse this morning and another health professional popped out of her room and asked for 'Mr Cock' - no-one responded so she kept repeating it until the man next to me said 'Well, I'm Mr Cook, do you mean me?!

Generally, I don't mind but I do prefer my full forename or Mrs Stemon unless I've told someone otherwise.
I know that when anyone calls DH by his first forename they are being over-familiar because he never uses it.

Callistemon was it Mr Cook she was calling?
Did he laugh?

I don't mind, within reason.

That said, when I accompanied DH to an appointment in the hospital's audiology department, I was slightly taken aback when he was asked by the audiologist if I was his "missus"!
Still, as English clearly wasn't the woman's first language, and there was a slight pause before she said it, suggesting she couldn't think of the best word to use, I let it go.

It was Mr Cook, lemongrove - well, at least he went into her room and never reappeared!

and no, he wasn't laughing!