grammar police
This is something I've seen a lot lately that drives me batty.
When a writer is referring to a parent (or other adult for whom you use a special title, not a first name) by the name used for the parent - for the purposes of this entry, we'll use "mom" and "dad" - as though it is the parent's name, it is a proper noun and therefore takes capitalization.
When a writer is referring to a parent by role rather than by the name the writer uses for the parent, that word is not a proper noun and does not take capitalization.
Correct: My mom was raised in rural South Carolina.
Incorrect: My Mom was raised in rural South Carolina.
Correct: When I don't clean my room, Mom gets frustrated.
Incorrect: When I don't clean my room, mom gets frustrated.
Correct: Everyone in my family helps to prepare for Thanksgiving. My brother Billy and I set the table while Mom cooks and Dad cleans the house for company.
Also correct: Everyone in my family helps to prepare for Thanksgiving. My brother Billy and I set the table while our mom cooks and our dad cleans the house for company.
She/he is your mom/dad. Her/his name, as far as you're concerned, is Mom/Dad.
This entry hurt me more than it hurt you.
When a writer is referring to a parent (or other adult for whom you use a special title, not a first name) by the name used for the parent - for the purposes of this entry, we'll use "mom" and "dad" - as though it is the parent's name, it is a proper noun and therefore takes capitalization.
When a writer is referring to a parent by role rather than by the name the writer uses for the parent, that word is not a proper noun and does not take capitalization.
Correct: My mom was raised in rural South Carolina.
Incorrect: My Mom was raised in rural South Carolina.
Correct: When I don't clean my room, Mom gets frustrated.
Incorrect: When I don't clean my room, mom gets frustrated.
Correct: Everyone in my family helps to prepare for Thanksgiving. My brother Billy and I set the table while Mom cooks and Dad cleans the house for company.
Also correct: Everyone in my family helps to prepare for Thanksgiving. My brother Billy and I set the table while our mom cooks and our dad cleans the house for company.
She/he is your mom/dad. Her/his name, as far as you're concerned, is Mom/Dad.
This entry hurt me more than it hurt you.