Don't Call Me "Ma'am"

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm getting old. This summer I had the privilege of celebrating the day I entered the world 4-1/2 decades ago. I think that makes me officially middle-aged. Yikes. I certainly don't act my age and sometimes, people who know me are surprised when they find out that I'm not in my early 30's. Yay for me.

I've got enough gray hair these days that I go to my hairdresser religiously every 4-5 weeks to buy new hair color. This week, I went with a dark brown and reddish-highlights. And there are other wonderful signs of this aging fest that my body has started: stiffness in the joints; can't read up close so I need bi-focals; and, my all-time favorite, hot flashes.

I can live with all of that. The thing that bugs me most is when someone calls me "ma'am."

Yep, that's right, one simple word uttered by a well-mannered young person is enough to make me want to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge.

Last Monday, a young woman, probably no older than 25 (if that), joined our office services team. She's a very lovely, well-spoken girl who seems to have her head on straight and a direction set for her life. Her first day in the office, I welcomed her, and her response was "thank you ma'am." I heard fingernails on the chalkboard.

"That's very sweet, but please don't call me 'ma'am' because I'm really not that old. My Mom's a ma'am. My Grandmothers are ma'am. But not me!" Bless her little heart - her response was "yes ma'am, I'll try to remember that."

Granted, there are worse things that this young woman could be doing. Having experienced the attitudes and language of a lot of young twenty-somethings lately, all I can say is I'd like to thank her mother for raising such a polite, well-mannered daughter. After all, I'm from the South and really do appreciate her 'southern belleness.'

But it's been 8 working days of ma'am and I can't take it any more! So, I've devised a plan - when I see her and answer one of her questions, I'm going to call her 'ma'am.' Ha. How'd you like that, Missy?

It's no wonder I've got so much gray hair. I worry about the silliest things....

Kel