What Texans Call Their Dads
The first sounds that babies make are usually with p and d, and that's why names like Papa and Dada attach themselves to fathers from the very beginning. What do you call your dad? Texans are falling right into line with the rest of the country for the most part, but we are making one huge mistake.
Is it Dad for you? Pop? Pops? Daddy? Dad seems like the most common way to refer to a father in Texas.
I call my dad "Fath" sometimes when we get tired of blending in, but I always end up going back to Dad. My daughters call him "Pop" because used to make a popping sound to make them giggle when they were babies, by sticking his index finger on the inside of his cheek and pushing it out fast. The name Pop stuck. Maybe every dad has three different handles and we just pick the best one for each situation, kinda like our dads call us things like "princess," "son," and sometimes our actual names, depending on his mood.
In other parts of the world the Huffington Post says fathers are referred to in several different ways.
Ati - Slovenian
Issi - Estonian
Athair - Irish
Tata - Polish
Papi - Spanish
Papa - Dutch, Russian
Families do whatever works. But are we making a huge mistake in Texas when we, as adults, refer to our fathers as "Daddy?" It seems like that word sounds the best coming from kids up to the age of 8 or 10, but we've all heard an adult in Texas talk about somethin' Daddy did or goin' to visit Daddy. Is this weird? Everything does sound cooler with a southern accent, so maybe that makes it acceptable.
Regardless, Father's Day is coming up on Sunday, and Pop needs some spoilin'! If Issi's favorite place to be is out by the grill, it's going to work out well for all of us since we'll get to eat what he grills up. When Tata is happy, we are happy.
Have a great Papi's Day ya all. You deserve it.