I know its been done a million times but... LITTLE MAN

[whatwhatinthewhatnow]

My child will not be called little man. The reason? You shout that in public and every boy child aged 10 or under will turn around.

Ive had it with Facebook updates about 'My little man...', people saying to me about my bump 'Hows that little man doing?', and conversations with family members about how well their little men are doing at school. We dont call daughters 'Little women'???

What did we call our sons before this awful meme started?! And how to I subtley veer DP away from doing it?!

AIBU?

I think it is revolting too, smacks of all sorts of gender stereotyping to me - it's a baby or a little boy not someone that has to man up already.

I've never heard the expression but, I have a little woman and live outside the UK and never ever ever have I once looked at facebook.
When I saw the title thought, I thought it would be about knobs. I am a mucky mare.

I called ds that when he was a baby, but it was just a nick name, he was called his real name .
dd is also called missy, but I wouldn't call her that when we are out(or gobby little oik)
yabu

But sometimes I do call dd (19 months) a 'naughty little woman'.

She is more often a mistress madam tho

I call my son monkey, sausage and little man on a regular basis. Don't plan to use any of them at loud volume in the supermarket :D

(and actually I might use little lady on a baby girl if I was in the mood (and if she was mine!))

Missy isnt the nickname of every little girl I know.

Well done for having some imagination, at least where your daughter is concerned.

I use it. It's lovely. Wasn't there a book called 'Little Women'? I certainly don't mean by it that my sons have to 'man up' early. One of the really awful things about raising gilrs is that they are pressured into being women even in their childhoods fashion, relationships, etc much much more than little boys are pressured to be men.

Boys can read beano and play act a range of fantasy roles while girls are already reading style and beauty mags that tell them how to act out womanhood.

When people call their DSs "little man," it makes me want to pull my own arm off and throw it at them.

I quite like "gobby little oik" though might use that for DD!

Its just so generic and lacking in originality. I hate it.

How about Wee Man (and not in Scotland)?

Reminds me of that warbling wartime children's song "Little Man you've had a busy day". Yuck.

I call my child by her name. It's easier that way . But I have used Madam Mim (no clue why) and that could be vom-making to some I guess.

Surely how you refer to your bump on facebook has no reference at all to what you will shout in the supermarket in 5 years time? Or to what his friends will call him? Or to what grandma will call him? Or to what he will insist that you call him (and you will have to bring yourself to call him through gritted teeth)?

I think it is the willy overtones that make it worse - totally agree about little girls being forced to grow up too quickly - that really pisses me off too.

We're in Scotland, where ALL menfolk are either 'wee man' or 'big man'. I don't have a problem with wee man/little man for a child at all.

I do call DD Missy Mop when she's being cheeky (in a funny way) as in "oi, Missy Mop, what do you think you're doing?" never in public though.

We say "little man" and "wee man". I had never heard anyone else say it - it just started up for some reason. I don't use it to call him - I wouldn't expect him to answer if I didn't call his name.

I have heard many friends say to their boys, 'Come here little man/Stop that little man' when out in public.

One friends son is now 12 and in an effort to keep up the nickname, has now deemed him 'Big Man'

Which is actually marginally better than Little Man because at least not every child with a penis is called it.

YANBU of course he is a little man (to be) what do you think he is going to grow into? A horse?

YANBU

Mind you, I am from Norn Irn, so frequently refer to the DSs as 'wee man' or 'good man' and they like it. They see being a man as a positive thing - and so they should.

I was surprised when I learnt that just about everybody calls their boys little man or wee man, there was me thinking wee man was very original

I have also been known to call ds "smelly pooh bum" in private but have had to stop now that he knows what smelly pooh bum means...

Oh, previously meant to write YABU - soz.

Oh! I know so many boys in essex called this! Every mum with a boy seems to do it! As though they were the one to think of it!

My SIL has a little boy only 9 months older than ours will be when he comes. If we both called them Little man they woudlnt know who is who!

I like a nickname that reflects the childs personality. Not their sex.

Mind you, I also refer to my sons as:
Babatron
Jimbo jones
Noonie macaroonie
Jojo
etc... you get the (mad) picture.

I like it when used by Scots and Irish, "wee man" just sounds much better than an English person using "little man". It sounds more natural.

However, I dont think I have EVER heard anyone address their son in that way as though it was a nickmname iyswim? Referrring to the child on fb, or to a third party ie "I've just dropped the little man off at school" but never, never in the way described in op.

Yabu.