Calling child by middle name

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

This is kind of related to the post about grandparents and other people insisting on calling kids something else than what their parents have decided their name is.

I was wondering, is it considered offensive or annoying to call a child by their middle name even though their parents call the child by their first name?

Edited to add:

What if the situation was reversed, as in parents calling their children by their middle names but other people call them by their first? I know a whole family with 4 children where all of them including the parents go by their middle names and not their first.

Is calling someone by their first name when they go by middle less offensive than calling someone by middle rather than first?

Comments

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

I would say that until the child is old enough to have an opinion that you should always call the child by whatever name the parents want you to call the child by.

Once they're old enough I'd say the child's opinion is what counts.

[adamantplatypus.livejournal.com]

This.

That said, my step-father was called by his first name by most people and his middle name by close family. It was confusing, but that's how he preferred it.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

Well that would come under 'once they're old enough' :)

Most of my friends call me Joe (to the point that I get post in this name). I'm female and there is nothing in my name that could lead to it, but it's derived from my online name, lol. Family call me by my real name.

[pixie-bones.livejournal.com]

This.

[memory-noirs.livejournal.com]

agreed. also my dad goes by his middle name "John Scott - goes by Scott" (it was the intention of my grandparents because the name flowed better etc.) so when people call him by his first name he knows they're telemarketers haha