wow crazy lady. i call my 5 year old dd a ton of way worse names in a funny playful way and she laughs, my parents were like that to me too and its a term of playful endearment IMO.

Oh my! That mom was out of line !!

I don't think goofball is derogatory unless it's used with a mean tone of voice or in a context that the child could interpret that you are belittling or insulting them. It sounds like the context and tone of voice in your case were just fine.

I will say, though, that my dad joked around a lot when we were kids...teased us, called us silly names, was sarcastic. Most of the time it was funny. Every once in awhile it hurt our feelings (I say "our" because my siblings and I have actually discussed this as adults). I do think you have to be careful about the tone of voice and the way you use certain terms. I've noticed that my son, who is only 2.5, is also very sensitive like I am and I try to be really careful about not saying anything that he could interpret as me being mean to him. So, I'd say a term like 'goofball' if he was doing something like dance in a really silly way in an obvious attempt to try to make us laugh but I wouldn't say that if he was genuinely dancing and not trying to make us laugh because then he might wind up feeling self-conscious about the way he dances. For instance...

I always call my kids goofball. I don't think it is a bad word at all. They also refer to themselves and say , "I'm going to Goofball Island!" ,because of the islands of personality in the movie Inside Out.

Anonymous wrote:That lady sounds crazy but I actually don't use word like goofball and silly to describe my kids. I think it's a little demeaning. I would never say that aloud to another parent, however.

Demeaning? Even adults should be silly sometimes. Are you really serious all the time? I certainly hope for your own good that you and your spouse and family have silly times when you laugh and enjoy each other's company.

My teen, as a summer counselor, got into trouble for saying, lollygagger". A parent complained.

That lady sounds crazy but I actually don't use word like goofball and silly to describe my kids. I think it's a little demeaning. I would never say that aloud to another parent, however.

I'm sad for that woman and her child...

Anonymous wrote:On a scale of 1 to 10 of derogatory, I'd say it is a 3 (or a 2 if spoken lovingly by a parent.)

Hardly offensive, about the same level as "silly billy"

Agree. I call my 9yo a goofball frequently, very lovingly of course, and see not problem with it.

Anonymous wrote:Lady is nuts! Goofball is positive, imagine a world without goofballs.

+1

that's funny. we had a friend who told her kid she couldn't use the word "silly". i am pretty sensitive and i think you are totally fine, especially in the context of being fun and playful.

I say "silly goose". Same thing. That mom is an oddball who I think is in for it when her kid gets older.

Goofball is cute and not derogatory at all. That passive aggressive mom must have a pretty sheltered existence if she's giving you dirty looks and shielding her kid from that word.

I'd be tempted to tell her to go f*ck herself. Let Larlo learn what THAT word means.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I called my 3-year-old a goofball at Gymboree today and the mother next to me gave me the dirtiest look. I tried to ignore it and later said it again and she very loudly proclaimed to her DS, "that's not a word we use is it Larlo? We use helpful words."

I was kind of taken aback. I consider myself pretty progressive and I've eliminated many words from my vocabulary but goofball is not one.

Is there some negative connotation I'm missing or was this woman just particularly sensitive.

Wow, she is sad. You could have then said to your child, "Well, Larlothy, we don't make passive-aggressive comments loud enough for other people to hear. Nor do we glare at other people we don't even know."

Ha.

I call my kid "derogatory" names from time to time, but they are always said affectionately. When she's being goofy, I sometimes call her a goofball or tell her she's being a weirdo. I'm fairly certain that it's not harming her in any way. Making fun of your kid is mean; lovingly teasing your kid is not.

You're raising a tough, resilient kid.
She's raising a kid who will walk all over her in a few years