Mum Says She’s Fine With Her Daughter Calling Another Woman Mummy!

A mother in the US has shared a heartwarming post saying she’s super happy her daughter calls her step mum ‘mummy.’

Oklahoma resident Hayley Booth, 26, thanked her ex-husband’s new wife in her post for caring for her daughter and revealed she also calls her Mummy. Hayley says that is perfectly fine with her!

“My daughter calls her bonus mommy ‘Mommy’.. and you know what? That’s okay, because that’s what she is to her, she IS her mommy,” wrote Hayley.

“She is there for her always, she takes care of her, she plays with her, she teaches her life lessons and how she should behave, she gives her hugs and kisses goodnight, she does everything any mother would do.. But most of all she loves her like she is her own. It takes a very special woman to take a child that they didn’t give birth to, under their wing and become their mother.”

The heartwarming post was shared over 20,000 times and instantly went viral. Many of the comments were from parents who say they also are trying to co-parent their kids the best they can with their new partners. The vast majority applauding Hayley’s stance. The general consensus was ‘why couldn’t more parents be like Hayley and her ex husband?’

Everything in her post rang true with most of her followers until the part where she called other women ‘selfish’ for not agreeing with her.

“I see so many women say ‘I would never let my child call another woman mom or mommy, because she’s NOT her mom I AM!’,” she wrote.

“Well you know what? You’re being selfish. If you are lucky enough for your ex to have a woman who loves YOUR child or children like their own, and one who helps raise them and shape them, why would you not allow them to call a woman they love mommy? Why would you put your child in the position to feel like they have to choose who they love?

“I would never tell my daughter she can’t call her bonus mommy ‘mommy’ because it would hurt her deeply. She is her mommy not only when she spends time with her dad, but all the time. Sometimes you just have to put the petty little things aside, to raise your child to be the amazing human being they are meant to be.”

I totally agree with Hayley’s sentiments here and although I have never been in her position I can understand how much it would mean to her to see her daughter be so well looked after by her ex-husband’s new wife.

Co-parenting can only work effectively if both sides have the child’s best interest at heart. If they both put aside any hate or resentment they have for each other and just get on with providing as much love and support to the kids.

However…I don’t know how I’d feel about my children calling another woman mum. No matter how much she may love my kids they really only have one mother-me. I don’t think that’s me being selfish or putting my child in a position where they have to choose who they love more. It’s not about that. It would just feel strange…that’s all. I know lots of families where the children call their step mum by her first name but never mum.

I don’t know. What do you think? Would you be okay with your children calling their stepmum mum?

Images: Facebook Hayley Booth