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Do you feel old when people call you mam?

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Mam is a name especially used to refer to one's mother or someone elderly whom they treasure. I always feel weird when someone whose my agemate calls me "mam". It's as if they're comparing me to their mothers.Actually I remember i had a colleague who was really fond of calling me " mammy". At first, I took it lightly since were still in the process of getting to know each other and I never wanted to sound rude by stopping him. After some time I got fed up with the name and confronted him and told him how I felt about the name. This led to a long argument till we ended up ruining the friendship symbol because of that word "mam".

Most of the African parents love calling there young ones " mam". According to them, it symbolises, love.In this kind of a scenario, its understandable and at least its your parents calling you and not your agemate.Also, in a certain region in my country, men are used to calling their girlfriends as "mam". For those ladies, they're used to that and very comfortable being called the name. I feel like that's still a symbol of love.
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I feel like I'm not old enough for People to refer to me as mam but funny enough, I get that a lot. In my community, you are referred to as mam when you are married with kids or an elder. I am none of those but people still regard me that way. The first times I noticed this, I always went back to look at the mirrors. I thought I had wrinkles. 

When I ask why, they say that I look so formal. I hate the feeling I get so I always tell them to call me by my name. It makes me feel older because only the elderly are referred to that way around here. Perhaps when I'm much older. Still I'm down to earth and I don't mind that they call me by my name when I'm married, old and grey. 
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Basically this is the word from words of respect but surely is reffering the olzd ages. There is nothing to feel like an elder person but now a days it became the pschycological fact of our society. 
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It is for me. Growing up, I grew faster than my peers and there was a lot of teasing and name calling that affected me in a way. 
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Teasing or taunt doesnt depend on the words i think, it is the how you delivering the words. 
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Calling a woman mam shows a sign of respect. I grew up in a very strict household where we were taught to answer with yes sir and yes mam, A lot of young children learn this from an early age especially if one of their parents is in the military. As I grew older and left home, I worked in several different countries. In certain countries like France, mam is a sign of respect given to a woman. You don't need to be older, a mother or even a grandmother. 

I don't remember hearing this so much when I was living in France when I was younger. I guess it was because I was used to hearing this at home. But moving back to French territory when I was older I noticed this a lot more than when I was growing up. I also noticed this a lot when I worked in some of the Southern States in the Us. Many of the young gentlemen would call you mam no matter how old you were. This was just part of their culture. I did work for a while in Texas and I looked almost like a child back then. But when I worked in an office and needed to ask a person a question they would always address me as mam. 

I have never thought of being called mam made me feel old. It only made me laugh and remember back to growing up and how we had to answer everyone with yes sir and no mam.  
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In my country we don't usually address women this way but I understand it is a sign of respect when speaking to older women in the US which is why I suppose it could make someone feel old.

In the UK someone might call us madam but it is very formal and not used on a day to day basis. It might be used in a restaurant or occasionally in a shop but I can't remember the last time I was addressed this way and it wouldn't be related to age. A young woman could just as easily be referred to as madam and it wouldn't be offensive. A man might be addressed as Sir but again it is just a sign of respect rather than age related.


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As much as the word maam sounds respectful, people who use it should use it where necessary not everyone appreciates it everywhere or everytime. I am one of those people who don't appreciate being called maam for obvious reasons. It just sounds old to me. And its awkward to even call a young girl maam. I know in white communities its a good way of showing respect which is good, but again it would only be nice if you called me by my name or if you don't know my name just say excuse me if you need me to do something for you. That i have no problem but maam, i probably will ignore especially in the midst of people, because i won't know if your referring to me or someone behind me. I beleive if you are called maam someone is referring to a lady who is either wearing a wedding band or someone who is breastfeeding. I wouldn't even say someone who is holding or carrying a child because that one can be done by anyone especially kids who tend to big bodied that when you look at them they look older than their ages. So it would be good for that name not being used on anyone but let it be used in an appropriate way.
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This is a very good question, one that has been on my mind for quiet a while. I too get the feeling every time I get a Sir response from someone, especially when I feel that someone is either same age or just a few years younger than I am. I had to caution a few people in situations when it unnerved me. Anyways, I've since come to terms with it as it no longer bothers me.

I guess it's just nature, nature in the sense of how we've nurtured and program our brain to work and react to certain situations. Everyone at first struggles to get their head around the idea of growing old. It takes time. And being called with an authoritative title only makes it worse when passing through this stage or cycle of life. Hence, you can literally blame the feeling of being old when called Sir/Ma'am on human psychology.
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It is good to hear that we aren't the only ones that's been bothered by this. I think this all depends on the culture specifically in the context to which the word madam is often associated to. In our country, addressing women as madam is a sign of respect; however, it does have the connotation that you are referring to someone older that you. Personally, I prefer to be addressed on a first-name basis, especially when I am younger or the same age as the person I'm talking to. This does not only give a comfortable vibe but also makes both of us feel casual with each other.

Other than feeling old, the thought of being called ma'am or madam kinda irks me, as it sounds like I'm a boss or someone who holds some high position. But I guess this also has to do with being old, as typically, older people tend to have the higher position in a company/organization.
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I don't feel old when people address me, "Ma'm". I feel honored. I am most compelled and inspired to bless and pray (silently) for the individual who showed me respect. I believe in the old adage, "Kindness begets kindness," "respect begets respect."
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No it's not weird to me and am okay with it. Especially when my kids call me that or people who are younger than me. For other cultures I understand it's a term for a respectable old woman or a woman older than you. 
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No, I don't feel old when people call me mam. I often take it as a sign of respect. It is a polite way to address someone older than you, and it can be a sign of appreciation for the wisdom and experience that comes with age.
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I feel old when people call me mam because I have become used to calling myself that. When I was younger, I would have called myself my mom or dad. Now I am just called mam.
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Actually I remember i had a colleague who was really fond of calling me " mammy". At first, I took it lightly since were still in the process of getting to know each other and I never wanted to sound rude by stopping him. After some time I got fed up with the name and confronted him and told him how I felt about the name. This led to a long argument till we ended up ruining the friendship symbol because of that word "mam".
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