Here Are Some More Dads on Why They Want to Be Called Papa Now

“Hipster” dads want to be called “papa” now, allegedly.

Dads: they want to be called papa now, allegedly. (In Brooklyn.)

Hipster Dads Now Want to Be Called ‘Papa’

“I just think ‘dad’ and ‘mom’ are very ‘Saved by the Bell’-ish,” said 36-year-old Will Grose in Lizzie Crocker’s Daily Beast article about how dads allegedly want to be called papa now. Another guy, who is 34, said, “There’s no excitement to it, and I feel like the word papa nowadays has so many meanings. We live in an age when fathers are more in touch with their feminine sides and are all right with playing dress-up and putting on makeup with their daughters.” And here’s what a mama said:

Stacie Johnson, a 38-year-old artist who lives in nearby Bushwick with her husband, Tyler Myers, and 3-year-old daughter, Willa, said she and Myers thought “mama” and “papa” sounded unique and didn’t make them think of their own parents (“mom and dad”).

Carmen Fought, a linguistics professor at Pitzer College, said, “Parents who consider themselves to be young and hip don’t want to be old-fashioned and they think to themselves, ‘My dad wasn’t a co-parent like I am.’”

OK. Here’s what some more dads said.

Steve S., 35, filmmaker:

“Sometimes when I wake up at night and can’t fall back to sleep I try to think of all the sounds I can make. Lala. Meep. Weeooooweeeoo, like an ambulance. Papa. Bonk-bonk-bonk-bonk, like a car alarm. Actually, sorry, when I said weeooweeoo I was also thinking of a car alarm; ambulance goes more like woooOOOoWWEEeeeoooow. And then BEEEOOBEBEBEEOO for an airhorn. I’m not very old-fashioned but I think my daughter should call me one of these.”

Jordan S., 37, volcanologist

“Papa reminds me a little of Santa Claus, which I like, but I’m not sure if that sounds like a dumb reason?”

Alex C., 36, corporate law attorney:

“What do you think of when you hear ‘dad’? Your dad, correct? I think of my dad. It’s crazy. It’s like — how can one word… I don’t know. I just seems so crazy to me. Does that make sense? Like when you think of chair, what do you think of? A chair you know. And I’m thinking of a chair I know. And yet… It’s just, it’s one word. Chair. And what, it means two things? Or even more than two?! Oh my god. That just doesn’t make any sense. Like what do you think of when you think “me”? You, right? Do you realize you’re the only one who thinks of you when they say me? Or wait. When you say me? When a person says “me,” unless it’s you, they’re not thinking about you, is what I’m trying to say. I just think it’s so fucked up. I can’t think about it too much or I get mad and feel crazy. But with regard to papa I just like how it sounds.”

Miles P., 32, physician’s assistant

“I always called my grandpa ‘papa’ and my dad ‘dad’ so it seems to me like next in line is ‘papa’ again, if we’re doing one-by-one. Papa, dad, papa, dad. I’d rather ‘dad’ but it’s not worth it to me to have that fight and mess with the family tradition, especially right now. (Trump, etc.)”

Keenan T., 35, software developer

“I’ve repeatedly asked my daughter to call me Keenan but right now all she can manage to say is papa. She’s very young. We’re going to revisit.”

Caden W., 37, English teacher

“Call me maybe. Haha. Ahhh. No, that’s just a joke. Call me papa.”

James R., 39, manager

“To me, papa can mean a lot of things. For example I always think of Papua New Guinea when I hear ‘papa,’ which I know is not exactly correct but it’s just what comes to mind. For my son I’d like him to have me come to mind when he hears papa, and I’d like papa, for him, to mean Pretty Awesome Parent — AMEN! Hah! It would be a little silly but honestly I’d love it. We’re not religious but I think amen is essentially secular at this point.”

Keith F., 37, IT person

“If you tell a kid that a dinosaur is outside they’re going to believe it. They’re so fucking dumb. I love mine but come on.”

Jason L., 42, hedge fund manager

“I’d never heard papa before but I just heard you say it. What is it? Pa…Argh, I’m sorry. Paupe? Pop? Oh, papa. I keep forgetting it. What is it again? I like when you say it. Pouup…I’m sorry, I forgot it again. It’s what I’m going to have my son call me but what is it?”

Caden W., 37, English teacher

“I thought of another one. Call me Ishmael! Haaa, I’m sorry, it just came to me.”