'Mommy...Daddy...' - Ethel (2013) Discussion

[–] PiccadillyCircus 12 years ago

I thought the same thing! And not just Rory's use of it either. All of the Kennedy kids did it and it came off as self entitlement, not endearment.

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[–] scarf1 12 years ago

Agreed ... and considering she was a physically abusive, neglectful mother, came across as a very disingenuous documentary. What can you expect though, that family has always covered for each other, whether for criminal activities, adultery or manslaughter!

Muskoka Memories

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[–] mgersten63-289-636120 11 years ago

Better watch it. My negative comments got deleted. Seems somebody have never heard about the abuse. Probably a Kennedy

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[–] VanBooter 11 years ago

What can you expect though, that family has always covered for each other, whether for criminal activities, adultery or manslaughter!

Just like the British monarchy

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[–] jpgr1 12 years ago

It also got to me (I could swear some of them even said "Mummy") but I found myself being moved and crying at various points. It was very emotional to watch, even if it whitewashed some things.

My own mother was widowed young while pregnant and it changes everyone and everything forever. I am sure I would have had a very different mother had she not endured that horrible tragedy.

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[–] Piedradura 12 years ago

Does the depth of hatred for this family know know bounds? Wow, go troll on some right wing political boards, people. I found this to be a fascinating look at the life of RFK and his family.

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[–] chas437 11 years ago

I'm with you. This was about the life of Ethel Kennedy, and what an amazing woman she was and is. Its a powerful story about a woman who has suffered so much loss and tragedy from a young age and throughout her life.

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[–] insaneado 11 years ago

I'm not a troll and somehow cannor start a new post. I'm a huge supporter of the Kennedy's, publicly. I think that jack, bobby and teddy are true heroes to this country with the civil rights act, and health care but privately I find them arrogant. And I found Ethel extremely unpleasant. There was no mention of the affairs or her reaction to the drug and alcohol problems of her children. I think Jackie and bobby were similar because they were both private people. I think if bobby had lived his children would have been very different.

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[–] insaneado 11 years ago

I also found the skakel family interesting. If anyone knows about the murder of Martha Moxley in greenwich, you know that the skakel kids were ruthless and running around unsupervised. Now we know why.

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[–] TamPalm 11 years ago

Agree. That Mommy Daddy thing was distracting at times, had the feel of a mob family or something with the mom calling her husband "daddy."

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[–] StephanieRock 11 years ago

I noticed that everybody used "Mummy and Daddy"

I think this stems from the death of RFK at such an early age. They never had an adult relationship with him. He was forever "Daddy" and Ethel probably figured "I'd like to stay Mummy is Daddy is staying Daddy".

The words have a warm feeling to them. After experiencing so much loss, I don't think its strange to carry on these terms of endearment.

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[–] mcc2121 11 years ago

Whether or not their family chooses to refer to the parents as "Mommy & Daddy" is their business (though I think a 40+ year old man saying it is creepy). However, it was the sheer repetitiveness of the terms that was unnerving.

I would wager that "Mommy" or "Daddy" was said at least a hundred times each.

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[–] marydonna1131 11 years ago

I thought it very odd that the adult children of JFK and Ethel would still refer to their parents as "mummy" and "daddy." The british use "mummy"-Americans use "mommy."

I remember at the age of about 8 or 9 years old, I felt using these titles as infantile and began calling my parents, "mom and dad."

Very odd. It makes me wonder about the dynamics of the relationship.

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[–] marydonna1131 11 years ago

In addition, if my 23 and 25 year old sons would address me as "mommy" I'd be freaked out by that and correct them immediately. My sons are adults now, not children. And I treat them as such.

Just plain "odd."

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[–] ForeverVR46 9 years ago

I have 25yr old and 16yr old sons and I am mom. Their dad is dad. I think Mommy and Daddy ended for them when they were in 2nd grade or younger. I also don't agree that it might be due to RFK dying when they were young. My parents were both passed before my little brother was 12 and he is in his 30's now and they are "mom and dad".

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[–] Chloe1939 11 years ago

I find the use of it quite bizarre but also very intriguing. In interviews with Eunice Kennedy Shriver's kids they also refer to their parents as Mummy & Daddy, particularly Maria. Must be a Kennedy thing... Although I've never heard Caroline refer to her parents as in that way, she normally uses mother, or father.

I agree with you regarding their use of the term Daddy, StephanieRock. it would remind them of the time they spent with him in their childhood and make him seem more present, instead of using 'my father' or something more formal

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[–] DivingIntheBlue 11 years ago

I haven't seen this film yet, but if the children were using "Mummy" and "Daddy", I'm not at all surprised. Even back in the 1960s, children of upper class families typically did not learn the English language the way "normal" Americans do. They learn to speak the English language the way English do. That's why they typically use "Mummy" instead of "Mom" or even "Mum". Most still refer to their mothers as "Mummy" as adults for whatever reason. Not too sure on the Daddy thing though because I've heard plenty of English people call their fathers "Dad".

I was reading a book about the Sedgwicks, another blue blood family from New England, by John Sedgwick and he explains this. His own father refused to use "American" words like "trash can" (ash bin) or "flash light" (a torch) because people from that era were all about sounding aristocratic and "proper".

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