To really detest the term 'little man' for a baby/little boy

[Mimicat44]

It just seems that everyone is using this term now and it annoys me - they're not a little man, they're a baby or a little boy! Why impose any connotation of being a 'man' already on a tiny child, just let them be a child! I don't hear 'little woman' with reference to a baby girl so why the keenness to have it the other way round?! Is this some subconscious way of encouraging little boys to be 'manly' or stereotypically masculine or am I completely overreacting and it's just a cute term. I am prepared to accept that maybe I am Anyway, anyone else got any terms/sayings they find (potentially) unreasonably annoying?

[SloppyDailyMailJournalism]

TAAT?

YABU if so.

[PresidentCJCregg]

You probably hear people saying 'little lady' for wee girls.

[Porcupinetree]

I hated hearing my daughter called a 'little lady'.

[OfficiallyUnofficial]

I am generally over sensitive to irritating terms by this one really doesn't bother me.

Solidarity to you though because I recognise the rage looking at you "excited for"

[TheDowagerCuntess]

My MIL used to call DD a little woman when she was tiny. I thought it was cute.

I can't get too worked up over little man.

[Oysterbabe]

I don't use it but I think it's no big deal.

[Move2WY]

I call mine 'little man' and 'little lady'. It means nothing. Just like when I call them 'pumpkin' (theyre not pumpkins) 'chicken' (theyre not chickens) or 'sweetpea' and other such terms of affection.

I think you are over reacting. It has nothing to do with making them grow up.

[perrita]

YANBU op, I really dislike it too, I've never heard anyone use little woman/lady. It didn't use to be a thing either, I don't know where it's come from but wish it would go away.

[Mimicat44]

President, yeah I did think of the 'little lady' thing but I still don't think it's quite the equivalent, or rather it seems like calling a boy a little man is encouraging manliness and calling a girl a little lady is encouraging stereotypical 'ladylike' qualities and I don't like this kind of early conditioning or maybe I am really overthinking this now. My ex used to only ever refer to his sons as 'little men' or 'mini men' and it made me cringe so hard.

[ItsyBitsyBikini]

I call mine little man, little dude and munchkin. My nieces are normally called sausages but we have no idea why. Nothing meant by it, and as my DS is a week old; he often does resemble a grumpy little man!

[ScarletOverkill]

"Young lady" and "young man" have been around for decades!
YABU

[embo1]

Let other people call their kids whatever they like! MIL decided to call my 5 week prem 'Little Man' which I immediately asked her not to, but she kept at it and it spread and I wanted to punch her in the face every single time...

[QforCucumber]

I refer to my 13 week old as 'monkey' wit your logic am I therefor encouraging him to become a monkey?

[LolaStarr]

I really don't get why people let stupid things like this bother them. Does it really matter what other people call their kids?

[TheNaze73]

YANBU. You can't argue a feeling

[BackforGood]

YABU
Like Itsy and QforCucumber I have always called my dc all sorts of pet names - from sausage to teapot. I'm sure young lady or little man are probably the least far from descriptive if anyone were daft enough to think affectionate terms were supposed to be about what you want your dc to be

[Mimicat44]

Cucumber, I don't think it is quite following the same logic and I actually don't mind children being likened to various animals I think it's different to call a little boy a little man because it's something they will actually one day become, but to be referring to it now I think is a bit premature and like I said possible subconsciously steering them to be 'manly'

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Little man is fine really.

sexy little man, which I have seen and heard used in real however, absolutely not.

[Mimicat44]

Yeah backforgood that's not my point at all. Definitely stealing teapot though, that's a good one

[LivininaBox]

YANBU it is a bloody irritating name that makes me want to puke. To be fair it is not as bad as people calling their girls "princess".

[LadyReuleaux]

I don't like it, it sounds weird and creepy to me because it makes me think of an actual little man. Like a man but the length of a baby. Shudder! Why would you want to call a cute tiny baby that!?

People often also seem to pronounce it "li'l man" which is even more cringey.

Somehow "little woman" isn't as bad but I guess that's because of the book "Little Women". I do sometimes call my 6yo DD "little lady" but it's as an in joke to tease her. She then calls me "Madam".

[KathySelden]

It's a personal thing I think, often used in my family as a sort of a term of endearment.

I love little lady, but this is because when I was small a college of my grandmother used to say hello little lady to great me when I visited her office. Years later at her funeral he greater me this way and I was transported back to that time, it made me smile on an extremely difficult and sad time

[AndNowItsSeven]

Yanbu I have considered blocking a very good friend on Facebook for this reason alone. She also says " love this boy I do" ahhhh.

[branofthemist]

Yabu.

My kids have had all sorts nick names over the years.

I wasn't encouraging them to be a bean, chimp or yo yo.

Yo yo came about when ds couldn't quite talk and that's what he called Dd as he couldn't say her name. It ended up with us all calling her it.