“I keep accidentally calling my professor ‘mom’ in class. How can I stop this embarrassing slip-up before I end up asking for extra credit chores?”
The Wise: Dear Reader,
Thank you for reaching out with your concern. Slip-ups are completely normal to experience! Especially when you are constantly interacting with authority figures. If anything, this generally means that you admire your professor, so she should appreciate the compliment. Even with that being said, there are steps that you can take to minimize embarrassment and address the situation. Here are some suggestions to help heal your social latitude:
- Practice attentiveness to your actions: Pay a new level of mindfulness to your thoughts, words, and actions during your class. Remind yourself before each class begins that your professor is not your mother, she is your teacher. Using this technique will reduce the likelihood of you making yet another slip-up.
- Use their name consciously: Make a deliberate effort to use your professor’s proper title/name during interactions. By doing this, you “retrain” your brain to associate them correctly (and not as your mother).
- Seeking a support system: Engage in a conversation with those you are able to confide in like a friend or family member. Ask your confidant to act out scenarios where you would have to address your professor. Not only can this help desensitize your consciousness to the slip-ups, but also build confidence using the proper language towards your professor.
- Speak to your professor: If you feel as though you are able to do so, confide in your professor about the sensitivity of the situation. They may offer a newfound understanding and support. Being cognizant of the delicate situation may allow them to alleviate the awkwardness of the slip-up and the pressure to change.
Please remember that everyone makes mistakes. The most important part of the situation is how you handle it and learn. Your willingness to address the issue shows the true maturity and self-awareness you possess.
Wishing you the best of luck and with warm regards,
Not Your Mother.
The Wit: Dear Mommy–sorry–Mommy, no dear soon-to-be adoptee,
I believe the choice you have is obvious. You need to try very hard to get your professor to adopt you. Clearly this professor has replaced your mother, and denying this would be futile. If you have started calling her mother, it’s only a matter of time before you start calling her once a week, and going over there for breaks. You should start by inviting yourself over for dinner; she will love this. Bring a bowl of mashed potatoes with you to get on your new family’s good side. You can even bring a desert with you to get even more brownie points.
The benefits of professor adoption are endless. You have a new home, right on campus. Say your roommate is getting on your nerves, bang, you can go to your new mom’s house. Your floor is being too loud? Go hang out with your new siblings. This new opportunity provides you with so many ways to escape the glaring negatives of college life.
I would suggest you only call her mom in class, do not try to stop yourself. She’ll eventually come to believe she’s actually your mother, making your attempt at being adopted increasingly easier. That way, you’ll have an on-campus mother, and you’ll no longer be embarrassed calling her mom, because she is your mom!
Wishing you luck in your adoption attempt, best of wishes,
Your Soon-to-Be Sibling