The popular parenting title, Mum and Dad, may soon be a thing of the past? Apparently it is just not “cool” anymore.

A recent article published in The Daily Beast suggests a new title is trending in the US.

Apparently children are calling their father Papa. Which peaked around 1870 and over then next one hundred years, it’s popularity declined in favour of dad. But now, Papa is coming back in style.

“I just think ‘dad’ and ‘mum’ are very Saved by the Bell-ish,” Will Grose, 36, a Brooklyn father of three told the publication.

“I don’t know if my wife and I explicitly made decisions about what we were going to call ourselves,” he added. “Maybe there’s some by proxy indoctrination that happens so that you just end up doing what everyone else is doing.”

Similarly, father to three-year-old daughter Afton Love, Justin Underwood, said dad is  “very bland and drab,” he said. “There’s no excitement to it, and I feel like the word papa nowadays has so many meanings. We live in an age when fathers are more in touch with their feminine sides and are all right with playing dress-up and putting on makeup with their daughters.”

“Perhaps ‘papa’ is representative of a general leaning towards wanting to be your child’s friend as opposed to having a more hierarchical relationship,” said Armin Brott.

Stacie Johnson, mum to 3-year-old daughter, Willa, said she thought “mama” and “papa” sounded unique and didn’t make them think of their own parents (“mom and dad”).

Modern mothers have also adopted “mama” as their go-to because “mum” and “mummy” are too associated with stereotypes about motherhood.

“Mama” is said to buck tradition and serve as a new identity for hip, alternative, progressive mothers.

What moniker do you prefer? Call me old fashioned if you like, I will happily stick with Mum and Dad. 

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Image via getty

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