To call your children "kids"?

[VIX1980]

I was in a shop i volunteer in yesterday morning helping out on the till when a family of 3 adults and 4 children came in.

the adults were paying no attention to the children, letting them pick everything up and throw the toys about on the floor trying to play with them. I noticed 1 of the boys (around 4-5) was eating a cream cake, as we dont allow any food in the shop but he had about 1 more bite left i just watched to make sure he wasnt putting it verywere as he was covered in cream all over his hands and on his coat. When he had the last bit in his mouth i looked over to the adults who locked in conversation about some curtains.

They were no more than 2 feet away from the till where i was so i said to them, is it k if i give him a baby wipe so he can clean his hands?, they ignored me, so i asked again moving closer, Is that your little boy, is it ok to give him a baby wipe, again i was ignored, i said excuse me are these your children? nothing still.

So i finally went over and said sorry to bother you are those your kids over there? I didnt even get time to finish my sentence before one of them screamed in my face not to call them kids, they are children, and with that she took a load of clothes of the rails threw them on the floor and stormed out the shop followed closely by the rest of them, then i watched through the window as the mother mouthed to me "ill have you".

I walked to the door and shouted over to her what are you going on about and she came over and had a go at me for calling her little kids "kids".

Would you be offended if someone called your children "kids"? I dont get it to be honest?

[Tee2072]

Loon! I call children kids all the time. No one has ever objected!

[EuroShagmore]

What an extreme overreaction!

I don't object to the term "kids" or know anyone IRL who does, but I have seen on here that some MNers dislike it.

[sleeplessinsuburbia]

What? She was crazy, let this one go!

[Tailtwister]

No, I wouldn't have been offended. Judging from the overreaction from the mother, I suspect she was just using it to have a go at you. Very odd.

[PumpkinPositive]

Barking. Just as well you never made it as far as asking her to hand over her cash.

[Panzee]

Someone once told me (but I can't find anything to say its true) that 'kids' comes from a Middle English word meaning 'children'. S tell them that. :o

Sounds like a delightful family if they're being left to cause havoc in a shop.

[teacherandguideleader]

My mum hates the word 'kids' - she always said I was her child, not her baby goat. However, I don't think she would have behaved in such a way! I myself use it all the time.

[HDee]

I don't like the term 'kids' and never,ever refer to my children as kids.

[VIX1980]

Just wondered as my manager had been watching and listening and not doing anything about it but after pulled me aside and said i was wrong for calling them kids.

I still dont get why, guess its each to their own. I can think of far worse things i could have called them though

[HokeyCokeyPigInAPokey]

She was obviously barking.

[VIX1980]

hdee Can i ask why you feel so strongly about it? Not trying to cause an arguement by the way just genuinely interested as ive used it most of my life and never had a problem with it until yesterday so im interested to know why it causes such a reaction in some people?

[KenLeeeeeeeInnaSantaHat]

I have encountered some who feel a bit cringey about likening a small child to a baby goat, but in my case that is a pretty accurate likening considering the mess they make & how much food they eat.

Regardless of the word "kids" though, her reaction was bizarre to say the least. She sounds delightful.

[ouryve]

YANBU

"Stressed" mother is a very kind way of putting it. She sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

[LouisWalshsChristmasCloset]

Jesus some people are fucking strange
call mine kids all the time allthough i know there are people who dont like the word but i dont really mix with anyone that uptight so dont know of any. Thankfully

[amck5700]

Doesn't bother me either - woman was clearly a lunatic. ven if you don't like the term, it is hardly abusive is it? If I was that way inclined, then if someone I saw regularly called them that and I didn't like it then I guess i would say something, but not if it was someone you are unlikley to see on a regular basis.

......and who in their right mind lets a child (kid :o) take food into a shop?

[drownangels]

'Kids' has aways, to me, an affectionate way of calling children.

I really like it.

[iseetinselandtantrums]

YANBU
I call small people 'the kids' sometimes when wanting to be less formal than 'the children'. Didn't know it was a MN transgression!

[Ephiny]

I could maybe understand someone not liking the term...but screaming in your face, throwing merchandise around, 'I'll have you', etc . What a bizarre reaction.

[nokidshere]

well i have lots of children at my home but my username gives a clue to how I feel about the word "kids".

However, it doesn't offend me if other people say it - its just not a term I use myself :) she sounds like a nutter to be honest!

[Hulababy]

I don't really use the word "kids" myself, but not for any particularly dislike/reason. I do tend to say children/child.

However, I would never ever be offended by anyone else saying it. It is hardly offensive is it? Doesn't even have negative associations does it?

[PavlovtheCat]

Loon. Simply put (not you).

[cinnamonnut]

I don't really like the term kids much but it wouldn't bother me - what a bloody stupid woman - huge overreaction!

[Autumnalis]

Was she a MN-er? :) Lots of threads on here about disliking 'kids'. Not middle class enough or something like that.

[sudaname]

I would have said - 'I've been calling them children for last five minutes but you've been blatantly ignoring me, so l thought maybe you didnt recognise that term !'

[arsey cow, with ignoramuses me though]

[grumblinalong]

Kids is fine. No need to take offence at all, in my home town many people use 'little shits' now THATS offensive. Your manager sounds a knobber too.