Sylvia Rimm: Mom and Stepmom: Which Names to Use?

Mom and Stepmom:
Which Names to Use?

Q: My daughter is five years old, and her father and I have been split since she was eight months old. When she is with him, she must call his girlfriend "Mom." She is not allowed to call me "Mom;" she must refer to me by my first name.

I have discussed this with her guardian ad litem, and he told me that this is normal. Am I overreacting, or am I right to think that this may cause some psychological problems in the future?

A: My daughter is five years old, and her father and I have been split since she was eight months old. When she is with him, she must call his girlfriend "Mom." She is not allowed to call me "Mom;" she must refer to me by my first name.

I have discussed this with her guardian ad litem, and he told me that this is normal. Am I overreacting, or am I right to think that this may cause some psychological problems in the future?

Dr. Sylvia Rimm, Phd

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is a child psychologist, a clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the author of many books on parenting. She appears weekly on her own radio show, Family Talk With Sylvia Rimm, and appears monthly on the NBC Today Show.

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Mom and Stepmom: Which Names to Use?

stepmom

Mom and Stepmom:
Which Names to Use?