Daddy And Mummy – Josh Journal
Last Sunday, I visited my friend, Mummy Toba, and I got reminded of a daddy and mummy issue that has been on my mind for long.
Before the advent of “Zaddy”, Igbo couples have been calling each other Daddy and Mummy as a form of endearment.
(By the way, the spelling doesn’t equate their pronunciation. I wish I could actually spell it the way they pronounce it.)
I have been aware of this, even as a growing child. It did sound kind of off to me back then. From what I was hearing, they definitely did not mean it the way everyone else meant it.
Theirs had a different layer to it.
I got more intrigued when I witnessed new couples address themselves as such. They were recently married and had no child yet.
Definitely, their usage of those words had nothing to do with being a father or mother. It was for their own pleasure.
Back to pronunciation, the way they pronounced daddy, or mummy when addressing anyone who wasn’t their spouse was different. So this was deliberate.
It is also noteworthy that its use cut across educational, economic, or denominational background. They seemed to enjoy it and it came naturally to them.
A couple addressing each other as Daddy and Mummy will normally not sound romantic. It is not what comes to mind when sexy or romantic is being discussed.
In my opinion, no other tribe, ethnicity, or demography can make it sound romantic. Not even millennials. Somehow, Igbo couples just make it work.
The inquisitive part of me can’t help but wonder, did the wives start calling their husbands Daddy, because he called her Mummy, or did the husbands start calling their wives Mummy because she started calling him Daddy?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Either way, a part of me is considering trying this with La Babe. Maybe we can get that Igbo romance flowing.
I must end on this note, “Daddy and Mummy” is different from Daddy Wa and Mummy Wa. There is no universe in which that comes off as romantic.
Maybe I will get to talk on Yoruba romance another day.
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator, and Creative Writer.
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