Sydney has been married for two years and her husband calls her parents mom and dad. She just feels weird when he “calls my mother mom” and wants him to stop, but his parents are dead so she feels bad telling him to stop.
Jonathan: Today, for panic button, we have Sydney. Hey, Sydney.
Sydney: Hi.
Jonathan: So, Sydney, you have a bit of a problem with your husband thinking that he’s your brother. I’m not sure what’s going to explain this. Sydney, what’s going on?
Sydney: Yeah, that’s pretty much what it is. So my husband and I, we’ve been married for two years, and he calls my parents mom and dad. And to me, that’s very weird. We’re not siblings, you know, especially the mom thing. The mom thing really gets me like, Hey, Mom, how you doing? Whenever she calls. It just doesn’t sit right with me. I find it very creepy and very uncomfortable.
Jonathan: Has he been doing this since you guys got married or was it before that? How long have you been together total?
Sydney: We’ve been together for four and a half years. He may have started doing it right before the wedding, but it was right around that time. Her name’s Paula, so just call her that. You don’t have to call her mom. I don’t know. It just makes me feel like maybe something is lacking in his life. If you’re going to call her mom what are you missing?
Jonathan: I don’t understand what the problem is, though. So what if he calls her mom? It just freaks you out?
Sydney: Yeah. It just makes me feel weird. We’re not siblings, We’re husband and wife, and I just want it to stop, okay? I just wish he would call her Paula, which is her name.
Jonathan: Right. And how does your mom feel about it? Is she weirded out by it?
Sydney: My mom is the nicest lady. She’s not going to say anything.
Jonathan: So she’s not bothered by it?
Sydney: Probably not. But I’m in a romantic relationship with this man, and we both can’t have the same mom, you know?
Jonathan: Right. You’re not Luke and Leia Skywalker. You’re not brother and sister or you’re not Game of Thrones here, I guess, to make a more modern reference.
Sydney: Yes.
Jonathan: What do you want us to try to help you figure out? How you can tell him? Because I’m assuming this would be pretty upsetting to him.
Sydney: I mean, I’m sure he’s not doing it on purpose, but I want him to know this is not working. This is not okay. I need you to stop calling my mom Mom.
Jonathan: Have you tried talking to him at all about it? Did it just like not go well?
Sydney: You know, I really don’t even know how to bring it up to him.
Jonathan: Because it’s been going on for two years.
Sydney: Yeah. I mean, I, I said you know, her name is Paul. And he goes, I know. And I go, okay. And I just said, I just wanted to make sure you knew. And I don’t know how else to handle that.
Jonathan: So what’s his relationship like with his mom?
Sydney: So his mom passed away quite a few years ago, about eight years ago. And, I get it. But, you know, at the same time, you had your mom. This is my mom. You can’t really replace your mom with my mom.
Jonathan: So you think that that’s what he’s doing? He misses his mom. So he’s just using your mom as kind of a substitute?
Sydney: Yeah, maybe. Maybe it’s that. Maybe he just wants someone to call Mom. I don’t know.
Jonathan: But it creeps you out.
Sydney: And I don’t like it. I do not like it. Yes.
