<p>easy-peasy: You call someone what they want to be called. If someone introduces you to someone older, Jane Smith, you say Mrs. Smith until she says “please call me Jane”. I tell my kids’ friends to call me alh. They call me just about everything under the sun. That is fine. I am easy- peasy. I did get a wee bit aggravated by one young woman who spent a half hour explaining why first-naming elders was taboo in her culture. Fine. okay. I told her 3 minutes into the conversation, she should call me whatever she felt appropriate. No problem. Still got the manners lesson :)</p>
<p>You call your professors by their title unless they tell you to call them something different. You can never go wrong calling any teacher “professor” even if that isn’t exactly their title, imho. If you were raised in my household you better remember to call all the MDs “Dr.” or risk a stern reprimand.</p>
<p>I am a returned home southerner, and loving being Miss Alh to all the youngsters. I call all my older neighbors Miss Neighbor. I was very gently steered in that direction.</p>