"Ma'am"

I just got off the phone with several customer service representatives who addressed me as "Ma'am."

Which then reminded me of two pediatric patients I interviewed at my preceptor's office--one a 16-year-old boy, the other a 10-year-old boy. Both these boys were true born-and-bred Southern gentlemen--they ended the answer to every one of my questions with the word "Ma'am." "Yes, ma'am," or "No, ma'am," they said politely. Once the 10-year-old simply answered "Yes" to my question, and his father, who was also there, immediately reprimanded him by adding "Ma'am." "Yes, ma'am," the boy corrected himself.

Although of course not every patient is this polite, at times like these I really appreciate those boys and Southern civility.

But it has also made me realize I now look and sound old enough to be called "ma'am." When I was a kid, I associated this term with ladies that are at least middle-aged. Bummer.