Relatively Speaking

Shouldn't words like Aunt, Cousin, Mom, and Dad always be capitalized when they're followed by the person's name? If you're such a grammar nut, why did you write "Aunt Mamie" with a capital and cousin Eileen with no capital in "Maggie and the Ghost"? —Grammar Maven with a Microscope

Here's the excerpt: "Maybe you heard the story from Aunt Mamie or maybe your cousin Eileen made it up."

Dear GMM,

Good question, cracked microscope.

When a relative's name is preceded by a possessive, don't capitalize. In the sentence cited, "Aunt Mamie" is her name. Had I written "your aunt Mamie," there would have been no capitalization. Had I written "Maybe Cousin Eileen made it up," my cousin Eileen would have merited a capital C (sorry, Eileen, nothing personal).

Thanks for the question and for reading the story to the very end.

Source:The Chicago Manual of Style