History Main / ParentalTitleCharacterization

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'': The sole time Elsa refers to her parents by title is she cries for help. She uses the affectionate and childish "Mama" and "Papa". This fits her young age (eight) in the scene but also shows she has a loving relationship with her parents. Over the course of her childhood, she withdraws from her family due to fearing she might hurt them.

** Kiara in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' uses "Daddy" on default to show that she's a DaddysGirl. When speaking more formally, she uses "Father" due to her upbringing as a princess.

** In ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', both of her parents are present. She addresses her mom as "mother." Judging from the fact that Mrs. Beaureguarde's only line is a FirstNameUltimatum directed at Violet, we can assume that she takes a strict line with her daughter. Violet calls her father "Dad." He indulges her competitiveness, and they appear to be much closer.

In some cases, switching from "Mommy"/"Mummy" and "Daddy" to "Mom"/"Mum" and "Dad" is just a matter of a younger user wanting to be seen as a "big kid." A SpoiledBrat or DaddysGirl, especially if she is rich, will often refer to her father as "Daddy" even as most of her peers outgrow the title. In contrast, a full-grown man calling his mother "Mommy" or "Mummy" is seen as goofy or weird, signifying he is either a MommasBoy, a ManChild, or that his mother is of the MyBelovedSmother type.

"Mother" and "Father" used to be perfectly neutral terms but have become formal and old-fashioned over time. It can signify that the characters are uptight and formal, they're royalty, or that their parents are distant. Using "Sir", "M'am", and other extremely formal titles has even more weight to it than referring to them as just "Mother" and "Father". It's almost always to signify that the character's parents as abusive, aloof and unaffectionate, or are militaristic. Some children may be expected to address parents by their professional titles, in lieu of using parental titles if they're also their children's students or subordinates, out of respect and keeping personal and professional lives separate.

** In his LotusEaterMachine experience in the second-to-last episode, eight-year-old Cody thinks he's with his father, who had died by the time he was four or five. He's a very intelligent and serious young man; that the subtitles for the original version of this scene have Cody addressing his father as "Daddy" speaks to the emotional impact this has on him. The dub team made him a year older, so it makes sense that they had him call his father "Dad".

** Protagonist Marinette refers to her parents as "Mama" and "Papa" despite being a teenager, hinting at their close and loving relationship[[note]]in the English dub, she alternates between these terms and the more age-appropriate but still affectionate "Mom" and "Dad"[[/note]]. Co-star Adrien in contrasts uses "Father" for the present but emotionally absent parent he has remaining, alternating between "Mom" and "Mother" for his MissingMom. Also worth noting is that in French, he uses ''vous'' for "you" when talking to his father, which is far more formal than any normal parent/child relationship.

** ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': The sole time Elsa refers to her parents by title is she cries for help. She uses the affectionate and childish "Mama" and "Papa". This fits her young age (eight) in the scene but also shows she has a loving relationship with her parents. Over the course of her childhood, she withdraws from her family due to fearing she might hurt them.
** In ''Disney/FrozenII'', Elsa and Anna are shown calling their parents "Mother" and "Father". This fits the 19th century time period as well as their royal upbringing.

* Throughout ''Disney/BambiII'' Bambi refers to the Great Prince as "Sir" to reflect the latter's distant and somewhat intimidating nature to him. Them fully developing a loving bond is culminated by Bambi finally calling him "Dad", an even less formal term than his "Mother" whom he had a far more relaxed and affectionate relationship with beforehand.

* ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'': Ariel always calls King Triton "Daddy," highlighting her youthful innocence, and showing that despite their painful conflict, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther their relationship is ultimately close and caring.]]

** ''Disney/TheLionKing'': Simba calls Mufasa "Dad" as a cub, highlighting their close, playful bond, but as an adult calls him "Father" when speaking in awe [[spoiler: to his spirit in the clouds.]]
** Kiara in ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' uses "Daddy" on default to show that she's a DaddysGirl. When speaking more formally, she uses "Father" due to her upbringing as a princess.

* In ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'', Mulan usually calls her father "Father," but when they reunite at the end of the film when she comes home from the army, she touchingly calls him "Baba" (Mandarin for "Daddy").

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': James calls his grandparents "Pop-Pop" and "Nana", implying both that he's a bit preppy and that he's close to them.
** Lillie usually calls Lusamine "Mother", with one exception in the dub -- she briefly calls out for "MOMMY!" when [[spoiler:Lusamine is kidnapped by Nihilego]].

* The default {{fanon}} in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' fanworks is to have Anna and Elsa refer to their parents as "Mama" and "Papa" around each other but "Mother" and "Father" in public. The only time in the film they referred to them by title was when they were young children, however, according to ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'', Anna refers to her parents as such even at eighteen. It's rare for grown women to refer to their parents by such titles however fans use it to symbolize how repressed the two were growing up.

** Protagonist Marinette refers to her parents as "Mama" and "Papa" in the original French despite being a teenager, hinting at their close and loving relationship; in the English dub, she uses the age-appropriate but still affectionate "Mom" and "Dad". Co-star Adrien in contrasts uses "Father" for the present but emotionally absent parent he has remaining, alternating between "Mom" and "Mother" for his MissingMom. Also worth noting is that in French, he uses ''vous'' for "you" when talking to his father, which is far more formal than any normal parent/child relationship.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': The sole time Elsa refers to her parents by title is she cries for help. She uses the affectionate and childish "Mama" and "Papa". This fits her young age (eight) in the scene but also shows she has a loving relationship with her parents. Over the course of her childhood, she withdraws from her family due to fearing she might hurt them.

* Given that the franchise takes place from 1899-1914, most of the characters in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' call their parents “Ma” and “Pa” but there are some exceptions. SpoiledSweet upper-class women (like Arthur Morgan’s ex Mary) call their fathers “daddy” directly. Men like Dutch and Micah will sometimes use “daddy” to indirectly mention their fathers. Jack Marston usually uses “Pa” for John but will call him “sir” a lot to show their somewhere distant relationship. He's also the only one in the entire series who uses "Dad" occasionally, showing that he's from a different generation.

* SpoiledSweet Veronica from ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' refers to her father as "Daddy" even as an adult.

"Mother" and "Father" used to be perfectly neutral terms but have become formal and old-fashioned over time. It can signify that the characters are uptight and formal, they're royalty, or that their parents are distant. Using "Sir", "M'am", and other extremely formal titles has even more weight to it then referring to them as just "Mother" and "Father". It's almost always to signify that the character's parents as abusive, aloof and unaffectionate, or are militaristic. Some children may be expected to address parents by their professional titles, in lieu of using parental titles if they're also their children's students or subordinates, out of respect and keeping personal and professional lives separate.

* ''Fanfic/OnTheLongRoute'': Even after fourteen, Muffy still calls her father "Daddy" (but her mother is just "Mom"). This shows that she's a DaddysGirl.

* In ''Fanfic/LetTheWorldSmile'', Zelda refers to her father as "my lord". This emphasizes the distant relationship between the two. Her father is more king than a parent.

* In ''Manga/NewGame'', Ko Yagami starts to call her mother "Mama" ("Mommy" in the dub"), but then switches to "my mother," when talking to Aoba, apparently not wanting to seem childish, since Ko is 25 at the start of the series. Ko's best friend, Rin, teases her about it when she overhears Ko on the phone with her mother.

* Given that the franchise takes place from 1899-1914, most of the characters in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' call their parents “Ma” and “Pa” but there are some exceptions. SpoiledSweet upper-class women (like Arthur Morgan’s ex Mary) call their fathers “daddy” directly. Men like Dutch and Micah will sometimes use “daddy” to indirectly mention their fathers. Jack Marston usually uses “Pa” for John but will call him “sir” a lot to show their somewhere distant relationship. He's also the only one in the entire series who uses "Dad" occasionally, showing that he's from a different generation

** ''Disney/TheLionKing'': Simba calls Mufasa "Dad" as a cub, but as an adult calls him "Father" when speaking in awe [[spoiler: to his spirit in the clouds.]]

"Mother" and "Father" used to be perfectly neutral terms but have become formal and old-fashioned over time. It can signify that the characters are uptight and formal, they're royalty, or that their parents are distant. Using "Sir", "M'am", and other extremely formal titles has even more weight to it then referring to them as just "Mother" and "Father". It's almost always to signify that the characters parents as abusive, aloof and unaffectionate, or are militaristic. Some children may be expected to address parents by their professional titles, in lieu of using parental titles if they're also their children's students or subordinates, out of respect and keeping personal and professional lives separate.

Compare to CallingParentsByTheirName, which is used when characters call their parents by their given name and usually signifies either lax parents or bad familial relationships. See also UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology and UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns, which are just as personal for the user. Related to YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious and YoureNotMyFather.

** Sarada does not know her father Sasuke well due to [[spoiler:him being on a mission since she was a toddler]], however she refers to him with the affectionate "Papa" (changed to "Dad" in the English dub). She also refers to her mother by "Mama" ("Mom" in the English dub).

** Subaru and Ginga generally call their father, Major Genya Nakajima, "Otou-san"("Dad") but Ginga switches to "commander" while on duty, since she serves in her father's battalion. Their adopted siblings have varying modes of address- the very formal Cinque calls Genya "Chichi-ue" ("Father"), GenkiGirl Wendi uses "Papa-rin," and Dieci and Nove also use "Otou-san."
** In some fan translations, Fate calls [[AbusiveParents Precia]] "Mother," but calls her [[HappilyAdopted adoptive mother]] [[GoodParents Lindy]] "Mom," signifying she has a closer relationship with the latter[[note]]In the original Japanese, Fate uses "Okaa-san" on both[[/note]]. Of course, while her relationship with Lindy is better, it isn't easily established, as it takes her the entirety of the second season to call Lindy "Mom" rather than "Admiral Lindy" (or "Lindy-san" around people who don't know about the TSAB).

* The default {{fanon}} in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' fanworks is to have Anna and Elsa refer to their parents as "Mama" and "Papa" around each other but "Mother" and "Father" in public. The only time in the film they referred to them by title was when they were young children, however according to ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'', Anna refers to her parents as such even at eighteen. It's rare for grown women to refer to their parents by such titles however fans use it to symbolize how repressed the two were growing up.
* Used with Yang in the oneshot ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10799893/1/Love-Lose-Repeat-Prioritize Love, Lose, Repeat, Prioritize]]''. As a child she referred to her step-mother Summer as "mommy" or "mama", but strictly used a more formal and distant "mom" for her [[MissingMom absent biological mother]] Raven.

* In ''Fanfic/LetTheWorldSmile'', Zelda refers to her father as "my lord". This emphasises the distant relationship between the two. Her father is more king than parent.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': The sole time Elsa refers to her parents by title is she cries for help. She uses the affectionate and childish "Mama" and "Papa". This fits her young age (eight) in the scene but also shows she has a loving relationship with her parents. Over the course of her childhood she withdraws from her family due to fearing she might hurt them.

* At the beginning of ''Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son'', Malcolm expresses disappointment that his stepson Trey won't call him "Dad". Trey does so at the end of the film, after they come to an understanding (and get through a lot of trouble together).

* In ''Film/LittleAnnieRooney'', Annie calls her father "daddy dear" when she tries to sucker up to him while avoiding a punishment.

* In ''Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs'', there's some discussion about the difference between being a father (merely siring a child) and being a daddy (committing to and nurturing a relationship with said child). Sometime in Mattie's early life, his parents divorced, [[note]]in part because all four of her children had inherited a terminal illness from mother Jeni, unbeknownst to her[[/note]] so he never got to know his father.

** Grandparent example: Marius calls his grandfather "Father" (since his grandfather is the one who [[RaisedByGrandparents raised him]]) when they're on good terms, but "Monsieur" when they're estranged. When he's unsure of where they stand, he avoids addressing him by any name. By the end he's back to "Father," though.

* ''VideoGame/BlazblueCentralFiction'': When Kokonoe finally meets her mother, Nine, she addresses her with "haha-sama", "haha" being the formal word for "mother" and "-sama" being a honorific that signifies deep respect.

** Gladion from ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' refers to his mother as both her first name and as "mother", to show their distant relationship. His sister [[spoiler:Lillie]] uses "Mother" as well. Their family seems to be wealthy, so that might also be a reason for the title (ignoring the [[AbusiveParents abusive mother]] aspect).
** As with all protagonists, Eilio/Selene from ''Sun and Moon'' refer to their mother as "Mom". In a throwaway line, they refer to their father as "father". This implies a distant relationship, made more noticeable by the fact Mom seems to have moved to Alola alone and ''[=UltraSun=] and [=UltraMoon=]'' implying that the father lives overseas, however it's never given any further specification.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', Marle calls her father, the king of Guardia, "Father," partly due to being royalty and partly due to having a strained relationship with him. At the end of Marle's personal quest she hears a story about her being happy to see all her favorite people gathered around her mother's deathbed. The following exchange then takes place, signifying the reconciliation between father and daughter.

* Given that the franchise takes place from 1899-1914, most of the characters in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' call their parents “Ma” and “Pa” but there are some exceptions . SpoiledSweet upper class women (like Arthur Morgan’s ex Mary) call their fathers “daddy” directly. Men like Dutch and Micah will sometimes use “daddy” to indirectly mention their fathers. Jack Marston usually uses “Pa” for John but will call him “sir” a lot to show their somewhere distant relationship. He's also the only one in the entire series who uses "Dad" occasionally, showing that he's from a different generation

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': Edd always refers to his parents as Mother and Father. They also refer to themselves this way in the sticky-notes they leave along the house.

** KO calls his mother "Mommy". This helps accentuate his youth as well as [[VagueAge make his age all the more vague]] (he's ''explicitly'' six to eleven years old).

* Utilised iconically in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Bart regularly calls his father, Homer, by first name or other more derogatory titles to display his cocky impudence (though he also calls him "Dad"). In the original shorts, Lisa did similar to show her similar bratty characterisation, though when she diverged into a more precocious, well behaved child, she started referring to him solely as "Dad". As shown in the flashback episode "Lisa's First Word", both kids referred to Homer by first name even as toddr, building up to the heartwarming final scene where Maggie calls him "Daddy", though out of earshot.

* Even her closest blood relatives have to address the Queen as "Your Majesty" in formal situations. Apparently official protocol dictates that when first meeting Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in the morning, even her immediate family have to call them "Your Majesty" or "Your Royal Highness" on the first encounter of the day. It is believed the current monarch is more informal than that to her children and grandchildren. Apparently.

* Given that the franchise takes place from 1899-1914, most of the characters in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' call their parents “Ma” and “Pa” but there are some exceptions . SpoiledSweet upper class women (like Arthur Morgan’s ex Mary) call their fathers “daddy” directly. Men like Dutch and Micah will sometimes use “daddy” to indirectly mention their fathers. Jack Marston usually uses “pa” for John but will call him “sir” a lot to show their somewhere distant relationship.

* ''Disney/TheLionKing'': Simba calls Mufasa "Dad" as a cub, but as an adult calls him "Father" when speaking in awe [[spoiler: to his spirit in the clouds.]]

** Protagonist Marinette refers to her parents as "Mama" and "Papa" in the original French despite being a teenager, hinting at their close and loving relationship; in the English dub, she uses the age-appropriate but still affectionate "Mom" and "Dad". Co-star Adrien in contrasts uses "Father" for the present but emotionally absent parent he has remaining (even using a French word for "you" one normally reserves for ''strangers'' in the original language), alternating between "Mom" and "Mother" for his MissingMom.

* In ''Series/{{Vida}}'', the Hernandez sisters' relationship with their late mother is clearly demonstrated by how they address her. Emma, who is still angry and hurt about [[spoiler: being sent away for being a lesbian]], calls her by her full name, Vidalia. Lyn had a much warmer relationship with her and calls her "Mommy".