May 8, 2026
The First Moment My Children Said My Name
Hallie Bateman is a writer, illustrator and twin mom based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She’s the author of four books, including the bestselling What To Do When I’m Gone. Her Substack, HALMAIL, publishes weekly. You can follow her on Instagram, if you’d like.
P.S. Baby photos and how do you mother yourself?
Tags: comics
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54 commentsMy son has been calling me “Nicole” here and there since he was a little more than one LOL I think because he heard his dad, my husband, call me it? He does the same thing to my husband. And, of course, since he got a big reaction out of it (us laughing), he now does it for a joke. He’s only two.
My daughter has called both her own full name (first, middle, last) and our names (both full and just first name) our “fancy names”. It is strange hearing my name out of her mouth, for sure.
Our youngest (7) calls both his dad and me by our first names, for unknown reasons. He also looks nothing like me, which adds to the confusion. He’s been begging to go to a ‘buffet restaurant’, so I took him over the weekend, just the two of us, and he promptly stuffed himself with cherry tomatoes and soft serve. By the end of the night he started very loudly announcing: “I gotta get outta here, Olivia! I’m gonna barf, Olivia!” He even added: “DO YOU REGRET THIS, Olivia?” as I tried to stealthily pay the bill. (I’d said ‘I might regret this’ when I realized how many tomatoes he was eating). The first name thing really diffuses these situations, I find. He plugged his ears the whole way home in an attempt to ease his tummy trouble, reminding me periodically: “Don’t talk to me, Olivia. I’m serious, Olivia!”
I wish I knew your son, Olivia—he sounds hilarious!
bahahhaha
When my son was very very young, he had a great nickname. One day I heard him introducing himself at the playground, and I had to start using his real name. “Hi, my name is Noodle.” LOL.
I’m not usually a crier, but this sprung tears upon me x
This is so sweet😭 My oldest called me by my first name almost exclusively for a few years. She loved learning our names and it just clicked with her. Anytime extended family tried to correct her, we wouldn’t allow it- knowing the phase would end before long. She suddenly stopped a few months back and I genuinely miss it! It was so endearing coming out of her tiny baby/toddler mouth.
This is soooo adorable.
My daughter (when she was almost 2) didn’t believe us when we told her her first name, “no, I ‘baby.’” So we explained that people could have more than one name, “like mommy’s name is mama and Jenni.” Since [not everytime, but definitely everyday], she’s called me, “Mommy Jenni.” She doesn’t call my husband “Daddy Ethan” even though she knows that’s his name, she calls him “Daddy Jane Walker” (her middle and our last name).
Daddy Jane Walker! Man, that’s amazing. I love toddlers.
I love this and also, the sleep sack! My daughter just stopped wearing one at 4 and I miss it!
Tearing up!!
When my daughter was 2 or 3 for a little while when she wanted me she would shout “parent”! Amusing but I preferred mum.
When my daughter was maybe 3, we asked her what my husband’s name was. She accurately replied “Kevin”. Then we asked what my name was and she replied, “Babe” (it’s Liz)
So sweet
When my four-year-old is frustrated if we haven’t responded in time to his pleas “mom mom, mom” or “dad dad dad” he will just call us by our first name. We think it’s funny and so does he!
My kids started doing this at preschool playdates when there were multiple calls of “Mom!” all the time. Now they’re tweens and I like how they call me by my first name, like we’re all on the same level.
My daughter (almost 11) has never called her dad “dad”, she refers to him almost exclusively by his first name (Ivan). On the other hand, I ´m usually “mama”, except for when she ‘s angry at me – then I am “Sasha!!!” 😂
Love this!
Oh I love Hallie Bateman’s work and I’m so happy to see her featured on CoJ!! This is a perfect window into these moments with our kids that just surprisingly gutting.
My son (2) recently called me by my name for the first time. I had a similar feeling! I felt so seen!
“You’re Jess, Mama!”
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m genuinely curious: am I the only one who doesn’t find it especially sweet when my child calls me by my first name? I always feel a little taken aback when they say my name instead of “Mama” or “ Mom”. As a child, I was definitely not allowed to call my parents by their first names so maybe it’s just leftover feelings from my childhood? Does anyone else feel this way?
Yes! I often tell my kids so many people in the world call me “Claire,” but there are only two who call me “Mom.”
My kids are furry (cats) so I’ve obviously never heard them call me by name – but I am an aunt and it was painful as my nieces, in their early teenage years, stopped calling me “Aunt …” and only used my first name. Am used to it by now and glad they feel free to adapt some things to these more modern times and do call me. I just loved hearing “Aunt” … a very special role and relationship. All that to say, I get what you’re saying, Suzanne! Hope you have a nice weekend, no matter what anyone addresses you.
It makes sense you would feel this way if that was the response in your childhood but I have always felt like my kids are seeing me as a whole person not just their mom :)
I do!
I understand what you mean, Suzanne. Although growing up my parents would let us call them whatever we want, I always called them “mom” and “dad”. To me, it feels weirdly distant to use their names. As Claire said in these comments, so many people call me by my name, but my child is the only person who calls me mom and I love that. My child is now an adult, and still calls me mom just like I call my own mother. It is a unique word, a true gift to me to be “mom”.
I felt this way with my nieces !!! Totally get it and doing it disrespectful!
Yes, you are not alone with that feeling. Beeing recognized once with my first name is sweet, but not as standard. That remembers me of a sweet story: My brother had a phase where he called my mother only by her first name. Our elderly neighbor heard that and told him:” Of all people on this earth you are one of very view that have the privilege to call her mother. All others like me are not allowed to do that, therefore we call her by her first name.” Oh boy, that left an impression on us children. Since then we were very proud to call her mother.
I never called my parents Mum and Dad, but always by their first names. It was so normal and noone actually knows how it happened (I have an older brother and I guess I was already born into the arrangement of first names:). I could never call them Mum and Dad, because to me it felt compeletly dissected from who they actually are – it would feel cold and unfamiliar. I know that for most of the people it’s the other way around and now that I have my own kids they call me Mum, but to me my parents first names carry all the love I feel for them.
My kids call all of their grandparents Grandma or Grandpa [Firstname]. My mom’s name is Kathy, but when my son was little, he couldn’t quite pronounce it, so for a long time she was “Grandma Coffee” — which was quite appropriate, as she loves to drink coffee. Still makes me chuckle to think about it.
We are lucky to have both sets of grandparents relatively close by. My father-in-law has always had an amazing mustache. When my boys were little they called him “mustache grandpa” to differentiate between grandpas. It was adorable until they also started calling my mother-in-law “mustache grandma” to differentiate the grandmas (it should be noted that she doesnt have any facial hair). My maiden name is Wright. Now my daughter (our youngest) calls my parents “grandma Wright” and my in-laws “grandpa left”. So silly!
Mary, that’s so funny!
Mary and Erin, your comments made me smile. Very cute! :D
I feel this! <3
I think that’s when our kids see us as people rather than just their food/safety source. It does make you feel seen, like all the work to keep them safe and loved is worth it♥️
When my bestie’s daughter was a toddler and supposed to be sleeping, she was behind her bedroom door repeatedly calling for mama. After not getting a response for a while, she tried “Rachel?” LOL.
Hahaha! Love this! Definitely a way to get her attention!
This is what my teenager does! I’m apparently deaf until I hear my own name!
Brilliant!!!
My toddler did this from his crib when he wanted to be done with his nap.
Awwww, this made me teary (at work nonetheless)! A short sweet comic with such few but lovely words made me well up. How impactful. And, it made me laugh! Thank you and wishing a happy mothers day to all the moms (of kids, family members, pets, plants – we all mother) out there!
I follow Hallie on Substack and am so thrilled to see her here! Hallie – thank you for sharing such a beautiful moment. I teared up reading this!
What a beautiful moment!
Love this so much ❤️
I LOVE Hallie’s work. Full disclosure, I also feel like saying “my Hallie!” when I see her work in the wild. :)
Hahahaha I love this so much
“My reading performance suffered” 🥹😭
My son sometimes calls me “Mama Catalina” (my name), to differentiate between his grandma and me. He is still amazed by the idea that his grandma is *my* mama, so he wants to specify which mama he is referring to. His grandma is sometimes called “mama’s mama”. Sample sentence “I want mama to cuddle with me. Mama Catalina, not mama’s mama.”
I love this, such sweetness! When my daughter was a babe in my arms and just learning to talk, she said to a stranger ‘my name is Bijou and this is Nicole’. Not mama, Nicole! I knew then that my introverted nature was not being passed along :)
My kids, who are 6 and 8, strangely call my husband by his first name, and have since they were 3, and 50% of the time call me either mama or my husband’s nickname for me. It’s strange and endearing, and makes me feel like we really are a little unique family unit, nicknames and all.
❤️