She’s not just ‘Mum’. She’s my mum – and she does have a name

It’s in the context of health or social care that it really starts to niggle. If a doctor, nurse or carer of some kind refers to “Mum” or “Dad”, I appreciate it comes from a good place. I suppose the informality is there to imply a gentle shared concern. But for me it strikes the wrong note, the tone cloying yet impersonal. I’m certainly not suggesting parents be referred to as Mr or Mrs; their first names will do nicely, as would the insertion of “your” before “mum” or “dad”. If this grates on me at the best of times, when things take a turn for the worse and there’s bad news to impart, it’s like chalk screeching on a blackboard. “Dad’s had another fall, I’m afraid”, “Dad’s not been himself today” and so on. I’m pretty sure my late father wouldn’t have been bothered by this any more than my mother is. Perhaps it’s just me. In which case, sorry to have taken up your time, but at least I’ve given possessive determiners a rare mention.