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Addressing parents of siblings.

remister

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There are two characters-- a girl and her brother. The girl is the MC.

When they are both in a scene with their parents, how do you address the parents? Her dad? Their dad? Her mum? Their mum? (I know it's easier to just use Mum and Dad, but let's say you don't want to use those.)

So is it:

"Want a unicorn?" her mum said.

Or

"Want a unicorn?" their mum said.
 

Bacchus

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I don't suppose there is a right or a wrong way, and it could certainly be contextual. Talking to my cousin recently at a famil do with my brother present I referred to "our mum" (or the cousin's aunt...), when I gave the same cousin a lift and was talking about the same mother but just two of us in the car it was "my mum".

You could even use it as a device. Take family pets - my cat is cute and purring on my lap, your cat has left half a dead mouse in the bathroom.
 

remister

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I don't suppose there is a right or a wrong way, and it could certainly be contextual. Talking to my cousin recently at a famil do with my brother present I referred to "our mum" (or the cousin's aunt...), when I gave the same cousin a lift and was talking about the same mother but just two of us in the car it was "my mum".

You could even use it as a device. Take family pets - my cat is cute and purring on my lap, your cat has left half a dead mouse in the bathroom.

If your brother was in the car with you and your cousin, would you still say "our mum"?
 

Bufty

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Nope. There may be the odd exception for clarity in context, but generally I would just say 'Mum' or 'Dad' as the case may be- I don't see a need for any possessive if the relationship is known.
 
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BethS

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There are two characters-- a girl and her brother. The girl is the MC.

When they are both in a scene with their parents, how do you address the parents? Her dad? Their dad? Her mum? Their mum? (I know it's easier to just use Mum and Dad, but let's say you don't want to use those.)

So is it:

"Want a unicorn?" her mum said.

Or

"Want a unicorn?" their mum said.

Whose POV is it?
 

Bacchus

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If your brother was in the car with you and your cousin, would you still say "our mum"?

I would. As I say, I think it depends on context (if you have to have a possessive) and, as @BethS says, it might depend on POV too.

Possessed by both:
When their mum stormed into the room, Ben and Bella were happily making mud pies on the carpet.

Possessed by one:
When her mum stormed into the room, Bella was happily making mud pies on the carpet whilst Ben slept.

Possessed by both but in one's POV:
Ben and Bella where happily making mud pies on the carpet. Bella was just thinking what fun it was when her mum stormed into the room and shouted at her.
 

BethS

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The girl's POV. Third limited.

Then in her POV, particularly as she's a child, her parents would be "Mum" and "Dad."

"Want a unicorn?" Mum asked. Otherwise, it would be "her mum." But that sounds a little odd coming from the mind of a child.

If you use "their mum," you're definitely stepping into omniscient territory.
 

remister

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Thanks, guys! I'm asking because I saw this in an MG book. The author alternated between her mum and their mum. It was rather distracting.
 
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travelgal

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It felt more like the author's voice than the character's voice? Oh, dear.

My 16-year-old twins refer to their parents differently. The MC: Rhianna and Jon because she despises them; her twin: Mom and Dad throughout. She is close to them.
 

Bufty

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Strange to use familiarity because she despises them. If I despised someone, the last courtesy I would afford them is to use their name.

It felt more like the author's voice than the character's voice? Oh, dear.

My 16-year-old twins refer to their parents differently. The MC: Rhianna and Jon because she despises them; her twin: Mom and Dad throughout. She is close to them.
 

CJSimone

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There are two characters-- a girl and her brother. The girl is the MC.

When they are both in a scene with their parents, how do you address the parents? Her dad? Their dad? Her mum? Their mum? (I know it's easier to just use Mum and Dad, but let's say you don't want to use those.)

So is it:

"Want a unicorn?" her mum said.

Or

"Want a unicorn?" their mum said.

For me it varies depending on context, just like it does in life. For example, my MC notes the way his sisters are treating "our dad" (previously "their dad" when I had it in third), but when he's not including his siblings he says "my dad" (previously "his dad").

Mine may be a little different because there is some breaking the fourth wall and having the MC telling you his story.

My MC calls his dad "my dad" (occasionally "our dad") and his mom just "Mom" because of the distant relationship with his dad and the close relationship with his mom. I don't know if that will come across oddly, but it actually is the way I think of and refer to my parents - my dad is "my father" (not Dad or anything else) both when I think of him and speak of him and my mom is/was (she died while I was in college) just "Mom".

I think you can make it work any which way if you fit it to the story and context.

CJ
 

Lil

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Nope. There may be the odd exception for clarity in context, but generally I would just say 'Mum' or 'Dad' as the case may be- I don't see a need for any possessive if the relationship is known.
This seems like the simplest way to handle is, and I am a strong believer in the KISS principle.
 

TaylorSaville

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Most of my dialogue tends to be sandwiched in between descriptive sentences, so I don't think I would have personally used, "Want a unicorn?" Mum asked. But it's certainly not wrong to say it that way, especially if the writing style is consistent throughout. I have a hard time being pithy with my dialogue. I tend to be very cumbersome, so I would have probably written it like,

Her mother glanced at her with a hint of humor and asked, "Want a unicorn?" :D I don't think there's a "wrong" way to write something like that really, as long as it's consistent.
 

WeaselFire

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"Want a unicorn?" her mum said.

Or...

"Want a unicorn?"

Susie looked at her mum like she was daft.

"I'm serious, they're having a clearance sale at Wicked Uncle Ernie's Unicorn Shoppe."

You can handle this anyway it sounds correct to a reader, or you can handle it so that your grammar teacher wouldn't rap your knuckles. It took years, but I'm over my fear of my grammar teacher.

Jeff