<p>@moonchild: I think kids today have obstacles we didn’t when it comes to parental names. Lots of kids don’t have the same last name as at least one of their parents, which means using “Mr.” or “Mrs.” with your friend’s last name might be completely incorrect. The second problem is that lots of mothers are unmarried, which is confusing title-wise. I get called “Mrs.” all the time, and it bugs me. I gently correct people, but some people never get it.</p>