Like everyone else, when I was little, I was taught to address my parents as “mom and dad," my grandparents as “grandma and grandpa," and my parents' siblings and in-laws as “aunt and uncle." And I don't care how old I am, that's going to be the way I address those family members until the day I die.
You see, I was taught to respect my elders by my mom and dad, but it appears that some people weren't taught the same. I can't count how many times I hear people referring to their parents by their first names. It's blasphemy, I tell you.
To me, calling your parents by their first names, especially to their faces, is the utmost form of disrespect you can show them. I don't care if you're five or fifty-five, if you address your parents by their first names, it shows that you have absolutely no respect for them.
No, I don't mean when some ask you, “Hey, what's your mom's name?" I mean, naturally, you're going to tell this person what your mom's name actually is. Her legal name isn't “Mom" after all, and you and your siblings are the only ones in the world who should call her that. Anyone else addressing her as “Mom" is just weird.
At least I know I'd be weirded out if someone besides my sister or I started calling my mom, “Mom," or my dad, “Dad." That'd be super uncomfortable.
No, what I mean is when someone says, “Steve always said, blah, blah, blah," when talking about their dad. Or saying, “Hey Linda, didn't you hear what he just told you?" to their mom.
And no, it's not just the younger generation that is doing this. It's the older generation too — which, in my opinion, is just as bad. Your parents do not stop being your parents just because you grow up. Even if your parents are no longer alive, it's still disrespectful to address them by their first names. The people who loved you all your life, the people who supported you all your life, deserve your respect throughout your entire life.
No matter what your age — whether your two or twenty-two or sixty-two — if you have any respect for your parents, then living or dead, you should never address them by their first names. Period.
