DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I take my sons to the pediatrician or call to make an appointment, the receptionist or nurse always calls me Mom. I give them my name, but they never use it, and continue to call me Mom. I love being a mom, don’t get me wrong. And I love my sons. But this drives me bananas. I’m not these people’s mom!

When I take my sons to the pediatrician or call to make an appointment, the receptionist or nurse always calls me Mom. I give them my name, but they never use it, and continue to call me Mom. I love being a mom,

There’s something about it that feels a little condescending, like I’m not a separate person from my children.