suggestions for gender neutral version of mom/dad? something less formal than just âparentâ
please note that while progenitor, guardian, spawnpoint etc are all respected titles, they are more the equivalent of mother/father than an affectionate nickname you would scream through the house multiple times a day. gimme something we can use people
I just tried to combine the words and got âdomâ and i cant-
but wait, if we reverse âdomâ you get âmodâ. I suggest we use âmoderatorâ as a gender neutral version of mom/dad
Admin and op would work makes them sound powerful and in charge of everything
Admin (respectful) Op (derogatory)
i was going to add something else to this but instead i got to thinking and i was like huh. what could you use.
in most languages the word for âmotherâ usually starts with an M, because phonetically [m] is one of the easiest sounds for a newborn to make when they start babbling, and mothers tend to be the one most around the child. so in my mind that crosses M off the list, because itâs automatically associated with a feminine figure
similarly, âfatherâ tends to start with D, T, P, or B. (phonetically these sounds are very close together; [p, b] and [d, t] are all only different because of being voiced or unvoiced.) these are also phonetically easy letters and ones kids pick up on earlier.
now the hard sounds for kids are the following: [Éš, dÍĄĘ, tĘ, θ, Ă°] or in normal speak: the English R, the âjâ or âdgeâ sound in âjudge,â the âthâ sound in âthighâ and the âthâ sound in âthe.â and we donât want kids unable to say their parentâs name for years, so those are also off the list.
additionally, itâs easiest for young kids to just repeat the same sound twice rather than figuring out the tongue gymnastics of putting different sounds together, which is why kids will say Ma-Ma or Da-Da and not Ma-Mo or Da-Po. and weâll want to stick with low back vowels like âahâ and avoid ones like the hard âiâ or âee.â
so what does that leave us? when we want a sound kids can learn easily and early but donât want to just put a funky spin on âmamaâ or âdadaâ?
my suggestions: G, K, W, L. i personally lean towards W and L. theyâre called liquids, since theyâre the consonants that kind of arenât consonants, and kids (and ESL learners) will tend to swap out the English R for a W or L until they can learn the R.
if i ever have a child, theyâll start calling me Wawa. then when they get older, theyâll call me Wala, or maybe even Wally.
and then, once theyâre finally phonetically developed, they can call me by my true title as their nonbinary guardian for their 18+ years:
Waluigi.
Okay, but on an actually serious note, Baba is used in several different languages, but the meaning changes between mother, father, or grandparent. However, it is not used in English afaik, so it could be a good English option.
baba is what I use as a nonbinary parent (it has a long history for butches!) and this post hit me like a two-by-four to the back of the goddamn HEAD
How about Tata, because no matter what, theyâre gonna try to latch onto a nipple
wait wait wait, do babies try to latch on to the nipples of non-lactating parents too? is this a thing? do babies just automatically zero in on any nipple in the vicinity, regardless of the presence of breasts or breast milk? is this an experience cis men deal with I need to KNOW
UPDATE: based on the notes the answer is a resounding YES!!!
I canât speak to cis menâs experience, but my house has this kind of lamp, and my progeny were both very fascinated by it whenever I would carry them under one of them.
The lamp thing is legit, Iâve discussed it with so many fellow breastfeeding parents. The weirdest one for me was when my son latched onto the tied knot of a balloon.
I am so so grateful I decided to scroll through the tags:
oh fantastic tags:
#maud #when i was little i called both my parents mom/dad mixture i didnât know who i wanted so just who ever came first to me yelling that
Enter the WISE AND GAUDY SLIME, attendants, clowns, and wizards, with DOGGONLO the SEER
GAUDY SLIME Again I come to you, my followers, To ask a question near my goopy heart: When speaking to a parent, gender - none, What name am I to give them when I call? For, while âprogenitorâ is accurate, âTis not a quip to call across the town.
FIRST CLOWN The word that comes to mind at first is âdomâ.
FIRST WIZARD âTis true, but if reversâd thy message is, A âmoderatorâ comes to mind, with âmodâ.
SECOND WIZARD Why, âopâ would work when paired with âadminâ âtis.
GAUDY SLIME Say âadminâ when respect and love thou needst, Say âopâ when meant derogatorily.
DOGGONLO At first, hearing thy words, I was to jest; But then, at second thought, I pondered it. What could one use when not a âmaâ or âpaâ? So, âmaâ, the word, comes from a babeâs outcry, Since âemâ and âahâ are easy to pronounce. And âdaâ and âpaâ are also simply said. So what for gender-null? What for our Slime? Well, âjaâ and âthaâ and âtsaâ are none a fit, As âja-tha-tsaâ are difficult to say - No babe could speak them while still in its youth. And in addition, repetitionâs key, For âma-maâ is to âpa-maâ pref'rable. Weâll stay with low and back-held vowels, too, For âeeâ and âeyeâ are too complex for babes, So to the âahâ and âoohâ we keep our sound. Remaining still available to us, Good âgaâ, kind âkaâ, wise âwaâ, and, lastly, âlaâ. Of these fine gents I point to âlaâ and âwaâ As consonants that almost vowels be And make for ease of song for baby voice. If ever I a child take to me (For man or woman, neither one am I) A âwawaâ or a âlalaâ will I be. And as they grow, their speech will strong become Till finally my true nameâs in their grasp: âTis Waluigi.
FIRST ATTENDANT Spite! O, I am hit! I thought I was to learn the lore of words But struck by cruel and slapstick strike am I!
THIRD WIZARD Uh, âbabaâ works, itâs used in other tongues.
SECOND ATTENDANT Yes, âbabaâ is the one I use, i'faith. But still - o Seer, why must thou attack?
SECOND CLOWN It seems to me that âtataâ is the one For babes to âtatasâ cling, no matter what.
GAUDY SLIME Wait, clown, dost thou speak truth to me? Real truth? Will babes reach for a breast devoid of milk?
CLOWNS and ATTENDANTS cheer in affirmation.
O never had I thought this day would come.
Enter the gay mothers, THOUGHTFUL and SUZLOUA.
THOUGHTFUL I cannot of a milkless breast inform, But lights shaped like a breast will draw the babe.
SUZLOUA Iâve heard the same by others said before. My sonâs reached out for tied balloons in past.
GAUDY SLIME In gratitude I share with you a tale âTwas whisperâd to my ear a moment since: One said, when baptised, he then lookâd about And tried to eat the âmilkâ of candles lit.
THIRD CLOWN This scene has all that ever I could want, The milk of human kindness shows itself, The gender-neutral words are brought along, And finally, our Waluigiâs here.
GAUDY SLIME Before we go, one final note to say: A friend has lately told that, as a child, Theyâd call for âmaudâ to come, for âtwas A combination âmaâ and âdadâ in brief.
Merriment and rejoicing. The SHAKESPEAREIFIER lurks in the corner, taking notes.
Exeunt.
Archived.
Holy shit this is fantastic I love it
I had a shitpost about it being âmadâ
But this postâs better
