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Maza
05-03-2020, 01:41 PM
I read a post on FB a while ago about someone who hated children being referred to as 'kids'. She, and lots of other childminders, hated it because kids are baby goats. I looked it up in the dictionary, because I often refer to children as kids, but only in informal situations if you know what I mean. I was hoping that I hadn't offended anyone or was sounding sloppy or anything. Anyway, my dictionary does give a definition relating to both goats and young children, so I feel fine about it again lol. Food for thought though.

A friend of mine was telling me how her son's nursery teacher greeted her child at the door with 'Good morning mate'. She told me how she thought this was so inappropriate and unprofessional that she mentioned it to the head of year. My DD was in the same nursery at the time and DH and I both thought this teacher was lovely and gentle - he was also Australian and so without meaning to stereotype, the word mate was something he probably used quite a lot. We thought her reaction was OTT, but again, food for thought!

The same friend and I then had a discussion about what words were appropriate - she didn't think sweetheart or darling were appropriate to use in a professional setting at all and would just like people to use her children's names when greeting them. Remember, this is a nursery class we are talking about - not a sixth form class, where yes, calling a pupil sweetheart would be questionable!

I remember a deputy head at my old school telling me how she has noticed that I always use 'guys' when chatting to groups of children. It was just an observation/chit chat on her part - although I do now wonder if she was hinting that I shouldn't use that word.

Do you have any words which grate you when you hear others using them?

FussyElmo
05-03-2020, 02:44 PM
Not term of endearments.

It makes my skin crawl when people call children pests or brats. Makes me wonder why you would on a public forum.

Im terrible i have lots of pet names my sweetheart etc. My oldest eyfs went home and told her mum that she was my sweetie pie. Luckily mum loved it:o

mama2three
05-03-2020, 02:44 PM
Not especially , I think that pet names show a lovely relationship between child and practitioners. But I do know someone who called the children Nanas ( as in bananas) if they had done something silly ..she was picked up on it by the ofsted inspector who said she was humiliating them!

loocyloo
05-03-2020, 03:03 PM
Not especially , I think that pet names show a lovely relationship between child and practitioners. But I do know someone who called the children Nanas ( as in bananas) if they had done something silly ..she was picked up on it by the ofsted inspector who said she was humiliating them!

Oh my goodness!
Mine get called banana cakes or fruit loops if they do something silly ... I say the same to the children at school when I help out ... they all love it and think it's funny!
Mine get called everything and anything ... sweetie pies, muchkins, popsicles, horrors, monsters, ratbags, pests, toads, elephants, bananas .... all lovingly and generic. No one has said they don't like it and they answer to whatever! I do use their names and most have their own nicknames that have been derived over time such as Moo, Fifi, Boo ... which generally bear no relation to their given name!

Pixie dust
05-03-2020, 06:55 PM
I read a post on FB a while ago about someone who hated children being referred to as 'kids'. She, and lots of other childminders, hated it because kids are baby goats. I looked it up in the dictionary, because I often refer to children as kids, but only in informal situations if you know what I mean. I was hoping that I hadn't offended anyone or was sounding sloppy or anything. Anyway, my dictionary does give a definition relating to both goats and young children, so I feel fine about it again lol. Food for thought though


I am one of those who doesn't like the word 'Kids' just because I was always told the above when I was training many moons ago.......:o

mama2three
05-03-2020, 08:10 PM
I digress slightly , but I really hate it when I see nurseries etc called something kidz .......just spell it right!,,

loocyloo
05-03-2020, 08:27 PM
I digress slightly , but I really hate it when I see nurseries etc called something kidz .......just spell it right!,,

I agree, and actually, like Pixie, I don't like or use the word 'kid' ever! I never have, even when i was a child myself !

I dislike anything relating to children being spelt incorrectly or with random letters capitalised! I saw a holiday club out on a trip with ' school name (backwards) K i D z (backwards) K l U b ' on their hi-viz. Made me shudder!

Maza
05-03-2020, 08:42 PM
I absolutely hate the name of the product 'jelly baff' - is it a play on the word 'bath'? Maybe it is not meant to be a play on the word, but it grates me.