Mother sparks debate after ex claims children under 10 are ‘too old’ to call father ‘daddy’

'I bet his girlfriend has said this'

It is the third year in a row that the number of live births has dropped and levels have not been this low since 2005 (Getty/iStock)

A mother has prompted a furious debate online after she lambasted her ex for telling their children they were “too old” to call him “daddy”.

The couple’s three young children had returned from spending the weekend at their father’s house when they revealed the new rule he had imposed, much to their mother’s fury.

Writing on Mumsnet, she explained that the incident had upset her children, describing her ex’s ruling as “unreasonable”, particularly because he refers to his own father as “daddy”.

“My kids 10, nine, seven and a half, came home after the weekend (father just moved in with gf who wants a baby) and told me that their father had told them they were too old to refer to him as 'daddy' and that other kids would make fun of them as they were too old,” she wrote.

“Cue automatic claws out reflex from me.

“This has come out of the blue - they’re very young for their age, he’s always been daddy but explained that they had to move to dad.”

She continued by asking fellow users if she was being unreasonable and overly sensitive by feeling angered by his request.

Her thread provoked a flurry of emotive responses, with some parents agreeing that the mother’s ex had been a little harsh while others argued that he had every right to impose a ban on the moniker.

“I’m 23 and call my parents mummy and daddy to their face, around friends I refer to them as mum and dad. It’s what I’ve always done so why would I change it?” wrote one person.

“There's no bloody age limit on it! What an a***hole. I bet his gf has said this. It probably irritates her... often people without children can think of young kids as being immature when they're just normal!” raged another.

However, other commenters agreed with the father’s point.

“Personally, I would say they are a bit too old for daddy and mummy, but if they prefer it there’s no harm is there?” one asked.

Another added: “I also think that they're a bit old for daddy and mummy, but I think it's as much of a cultural thing as anything else. It'd be very unusual, where I live, to hear a 10-year-old refer to either of their parents as daddy or mummy.”

“Definitely too old for ‘Daddy’, he's right. It has nothing to do with you though, it's between him and them,” argued another..

However, the majority said that what the children decided to call their father was ultimately their decision:

“Surely it’s should be just whatever your kids prefer to call him?” one person wrote.

“I still call my dad daddy occasionally,” another added, “just switch between the two without thinking! Let your children decide what to call him.”