It's a compliment, no, really

Walking on my block today, this older Hispanic woman said out of the blue to me, "You are a teacher, right?" And I said, "I was a teacher a long time ago." She said, "Yes, many years ago. Do you know how I know this?" And I just sensed she was psychic and I tapped my fingers to the side of my head and said, "You know many things" -- Hey, I thought I could out-mystic her mystic!

She liked that and said I was very sweet. And then she said, "God Bless you, Mami."

Mami (as I've seen it spelled) is pronounced like Mommy, and I used to think it WAS Mommy. But it's a Puerto Rican word of endearment for a woman. I used to bristle when someone would call me Mami because I thought they were commenting on my age or something -- like Old Granny. Then someone told me the real meaning of the word.

Here's what Urban Dictionary says:

Mainly used by Dominicans, Puerto Ricans,Cubans & Other. These are the countries that originally used this as more of a slang term.Can be used with kids,Partner{female}.Similar 2 Hun,Boo,Girl,Baby .{males Refer to females:Mami}{females refer to males : Papi}

Now I smile when someone calls me Mami.