Children referring to "ladies" (lighthearted - I say this wearily, just in case)

[ChampagneTastes]

My 3yr old DS has started pointing at me and saying "you're a LAAADIE" in the manner of Little Britain. Apart from find Little Britain mildly distasteful I don't like it and I have found myself correcting him, telling him that no, I'm a woman. He does not accept this.

My DH says he thinks "lady" is the polite way for a 3 yr old to refer to a female older person.

AIBU to dislike it and want him to say "woman" instead?

"My pretties"?

Peeps?

Everyone is good most of the time. But I often have to distinguish between the adults and kids which that doesn't. I sometimes use something like:

'Ok, "grown ups", can we now encourage the children to do x.' And it sounds a bit weird.

I like comrades.

Maybe some Dickens: "Fellow travellers to the grave"?

Dudes?

Yes that would be most suitable foe a children's activity multi.

I can't imagine saying "Watch out for that woman/person" or "Mind that woman's bag" or "Ask the woman how much it is" to my dc, although I might use man in that context - it would seem rude. I agree it is a hang up from past times but I can't quite bring myself to do it.

(I think "grown ups" is fine, btw. Or "parents and carers", which is how school always addresses that demographic.)

Multivac "It's convenient that all the staff happen to be female, Fluffy. How would the language have to change, I wonder, if your nursery suddenly employed a male carer?"

In my experience they still all get referred to as ladies.

In my example our nursery call the staff Ladies with a capital L as in, that's their job title and how they are referred to formally. It'd bug me either way to be fair.

SaucyJack, having read your last but one post I think you might be my hero.

I like comrades too

I think part of the reason I dislike being called lady is that it's not necessary. Your child doesn't need to "ask the lady how much it is", they can just "ask how much it is". They don't need to "mind the lady's bag", they can "mind that bag" or "mind her bag", but equally I don't see anything wrong with "mind that woman's bag".

I prefer "person" or just "her".

I would absolutely hate to be referred to as a "person". It is so politically correct that it is almost offensive (to me, anyway). It makes me think that the other person can't even tell what gender I am.

I'd do a double take if someone referred to me as 'the person'.

I've said it aloud a few times and it just sounds weird.