Mrs. Carolyn...
Good manners and proper etiquette are nowhere more cherished than in the South.
I remember my surprise when a younger person first called me Mrs. Carolyn. Was I old enough for this salutation? I felt young and thought I still looked young but the young boy must have hedged his bet in favor of showing respect to his elder. Hmm, yes, I was definitely his elder.
If you live in the South long enough, Mr./Mrs. used with your given name is a rite of passage. In the Midwest, we stuck with the less endearing Mr./Mrs. tagged onto surnames. Although, it is more difficult to wrap your tongue around many surnames, e.g. Fjeran.
"Fee-air-un"
"How do you spell that?"
"F-j-e-r-a-n"
"F-j"??
"Yes, it's Norwegian. Like the fjords."
"Ohhh, right."
"Just call me Carolyn..."
Back in the day, given names were traditional and easy to pronounce: Deborah, John, Matthew, Matilda...
Beyond endearing, using first names is simpler. And, Southern.
We think of the British as some of the most proper people on earth. I believe they take the Gold in protocol. They did their best to indoctrinate American colonists, but, of course, over time, we had to make it our own.
Whether or not you were born and raised in the South, live here long enough and you will hear that first young voice respectfully initiate you into proper Southern culture. I'm learning to love it.
"Just call me Mrs. Carolyn..."
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