Can we ban “kiddo?”

[Anonymous]

Kiddo has been around a long time, maybe become more popular lately. Littles, in particular, feels like a trendy saying that emerged maybe 8 or 9 years ago and is already going out of fashion. I associate it with people who used to say "rosé all day!" and "Sunday funday!" before having kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It drives me nuts that these are terms only women use, and that this manner of speaking is very transparently something women do to appear cute/non-threatening/charming.

I know some of you are going to say "that's not why I do it, I just like it," but it's baby talk and women use baby talk intentionally to make themselves appear helpless and cute. It is really grating.

Terribly grating. There is a woman in our neighborhood who uses it especially in her ND posts. “Here’s a fun activity for the kiddos if you can’t find anything for them to do!” But in her case it is used with an underlying almost anger.

[Anonymous]

And while we're at it: veggies and doggo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It drives me nuts that these are terms only women use, and that this manner of speaking is very transparently something women do to appear cute/non-threatening/charming.

I know some of you are going to say "that's not why I do it, I just like it," but it's baby talk and women use baby talk intentionally to make themselves appear helpless and cute. It is really grating.

Terribly grating. There is a woman in our neighborhood who uses it especially in her ND posts. “Here’s a fun activity for the kiddos if you can’t find anything for them to do!” But in her case it is used with an underlying almost anger.

The use of kiddos and littles in neighborhood list serves is actually specifically where my annoyance comes from. I'm not even sure I register kiddos when used in casual conversation (people can call their own kids whatever they want and unless it's an insult, I'm unlikely to care). I don't personally know people who use littles in that way (and that's likely not a coincidence, as I don't hang with people who use a lot of cutesy terms like that).

But I belong to a couple parenting list serves for both my immediate neighborhood and also the larger area, and some people use these terms liberally in their posts and it comes off as so twee. The same people who use them tend to include a lot of extraneous info in their posts:

"My little was so in love with trains but, sadly, had a growth spurt right when I bought these adorable Hanna train-themed overalls and was only able to wear them once! I paid $55 but am offering for $30. Would love to see these land with someone else's train-loving kiddo!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It drives me nuts that these are terms only women use, and that this manner of speaking is very transparently something women do to appear cute/non-threatening/charming.

I know some of you are going to say "that's not why I do it, I just like it," but it's baby talk and women use baby talk intentionally to make themselves appear helpless and cute. It is really grating.

Terribly grating. There is a woman in our neighborhood who uses it especially in her ND posts. “Here’s a fun activity for the kiddos if you can’t find anything for them to do!” But in her case it is used with an underlying almost anger.

The use of kiddos and littles in neighborhood list serves is actually specifically where my annoyance comes from. I'm not even sure I register kiddos when used in casual conversation (people can call their own kids whatever they want and unless it's an insult, I'm unlikely to care). I don't personally know people who use littles in that way (and that's likely not a coincidence, as I don't hang with people who use a lot of cutesy terms like that).

But I belong to a couple parenting list serves for both my immediate neighborhood and also the larger area, and some people use these terms liberally in their posts and it comes off as so twee. The same people who use them tend to include a lot of extraneous info in their posts:

"My little was so in love with trains but, sadly, had a growth spurt right when I bought these adorable Hanna train-themed overalls and was only able to wear them once! I paid $55 but am offering for $30. Would love to see these land with someone else's train-loving kiddo!"

It’s really about scoring $30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It drives me nuts that these are terms only women use, and that this manner of speaking is very transparently something women do to appear cute/non-threatening/charming.

I know some of you are going to say "that's not why I do it, I just like it," but it's baby talk and women use baby talk intentionally to make themselves appear helpless and cute. It is really grating.

Terribly grating. There is a woman in our neighborhood who uses it especially in her ND posts. “Here’s a fun activity for the kiddos if you can’t find anything for them to do!” But in her case it is used with an underlying almost anger.

The use of kiddos and littles in neighborhood list serves is actually specifically where my annoyance comes from. I'm not even sure I register kiddos when used in casual conversation (people can call their own kids whatever they want and unless it's an insult, I'm unlikely to care). I don't personally know people who use littles in that way (and that's likely not a coincidence, as I don't hang with people who use a lot of cutesy terms like that).

But I belong to a couple parenting list serves for both my immediate neighborhood and also the larger area, and some people use these terms liberally in their posts and it comes off as so twee. The same people who use them tend to include a lot of extraneous info in their posts:

"My little was so in love with trains but, sadly, had a growth spurt right when I bought these adorable Hanna train-themed overalls and was only able to wear them once! I paid $55 but am offering for $30. Would love to see these land with someone else's train-loving kiddo!"

It’s really about scoring $30.

Their marketing tactics need work then. I assume someone who talks/writes like this is lying, and actually her "little" wore these overalls 100 times and probably peed in them twice, and she probably got them from a buy-nothing group for free. Meanwhile the lady who is like "barely worn overalls (my kid outgrew them immediately) in like-new condition, Hanna Andersson Spring '23, $30" is going to have better luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like nails on a chalkboard

You do not get to control how other people speak.
KIDDO KIDDO KIDDO

No! but I sure can judge your intelligence on how you speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like nails on a chalkboard

You do not get to control how other people speak.
KIDDO KIDDO KIDDO

No! but I sure can judge your intelligence on how you speak.

The kiddo and little people are getting mad about being judged in this thread, but don't seem to realize they are being judged in real life, too.

We're doing you a public service by letting you know how dumb you sound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like nails on a chalkboard

You do not get to control how other people speak.
KIDDO KIDDO KIDDO

No! but I sure can judge your intelligence on how you speak.

The kiddo and little people are getting mad about being judged in this thread, but don't seem to realize they are being judged in real life, too.

We're doing you a public service by letting you know how dumb you sound.

Someone sounds a bit defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like nails on a chalkboard

You do not get to control how other people speak.
KIDDO KIDDO KIDDO

No! but I sure can judge your intelligence on how you speak.

The kiddo and little people are getting mad about being judged in this thread, but don't seem to realize they are being judged in real life, too.

We're doing you a public service by letting you know how dumb you sound.

Someone sounds a bit defensive.

The kiddo/littles people? Yes, I think they are defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kiddo has been around a long time, maybe become more popular lately. Littles, in particular, feels like a trendy saying that emerged maybe 8 or 9 years ago and is already going out of fashion. I associate it with people who used to say "rosé all day!" and "Sunday funday!" before having kids.

This is it exactly. People who talk like this sound like simpletons.

[Anonymous]

I’m an adult, and my even-more-adult father calls me kiddo. I think it’s incredibly sweet.

Feel free to ban it from your vernacular, but I love it.

[Anonymous]

We can ban "kiddo" if we also ban "buddy".

[Anonymous]

I hate 'besties'. It's not only annoying, it's exclusionary

[Anonymous]

Get some therapy people. You have sound like a$& clown control freaks if you can’t handle a word that has been around for more than a hundred years. This is what truly upsets you? A word that you don’t like?