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!

like I’m not a separate person from my children. “Which mother? I’m Mrs. Starwood.” (Or “Dr. Starwood,” if it applies and you wish to pull rank.) If that does not work — or is forgotten the very next visit — Miss Manners permits you to be ...

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