Jory wrote:
There are certain words I never use. It's not that I choose not to say them, it's just that it makes me uncomfortable to say them, and I realize that there's no rational reason why. I never call my parents mom or dad, and I rarely call people by name. I also find it very difficult to say thank you or thanks, which makes me afraid that people will think I'm inconsiderate. It's weird, it's just like a total block, like it's not even an option for me to say these words. Kind of hard to understand if you don't actually experience it yourself.
I completely get this. It feels awkward or forced and incredibly uncomfortable to say things like "a lot", "won't", ""you're welcome", "that's too bad", "see you later" or call people by their given name. Even those I've befriended or have become very close with I refer to as "this/that one", "this/that person", or simply "it". However, people in a position of authority or part of a professional setting are always addressed as Sir, Madam/Ma'am or Mr., Mrs., Miss. Calling someone by their given name, or worse, by a title such as "Mom" or "Dad" feels incredibly personal or maybe somehow inaccurate?
Once it finally feels appropriate, I'll pick a letter from their name and call them that, or make their name into an adjective. Some of the names I've used include: Caraling for Cara, Pammish for Pamela, Alyssity for Alyssa, Chelle for Chelsea, Androsis for Andrew, J'roid for Jared, Trivvs for Tristen, Joshable for Josh
Then again, lately I've just been addressing my friends by the suffixes I initially attached to their names.
As for my parents, I've always referred to them as Mom-ish and Dad-ish as they objected to me calling them Mr. and Mrs., one of my grandmothers was Grandmommen and the other was Grandmammen, and my grandfathers were Pappen and Popsen.
Most people dismiss it as a harmless (but childish) "quirk".