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?

Yeah 'sausage pants' is slightly dodgy. Dp loves terrorhawks so will be using that for DS.
He did start calling DS Gorbachev as he had a mark on his head in the same place. Luckily it was just a cut from labour so has now gone! Sausage, monkey, munchkin, little terror are all used in our household, he was called blue throughout my pregnancy so I might go back to that!

DS is wee man, boob dude, sprout, villains childs and 'owowoooow letgoofmyhair'.... He doesn't care. So long as he has a boob, a toy to flail wildly and a chunk of hair to rip out by the roots, he's happy

Does anyone else now have "little man, when you stand by my side, I don't have to hide from anyone" stuck in their heads?

Wow usually not that bothered by these threads but I detest the term 'little man' it is often been used by dick heads people enquiring about my ds since he was born two years ago and everytime I hear it it's like chalk on a black board. I do not know why?

I'm glad mn understand though.

DP's nephew and his gf had a baby in December last year. She posts several photos of him every day saying 'love my little man' or something similar.

I've actually forgotten the babys name as she has never posted it. Ever.

I use little man and little lady for my kids. Ah well ,I'm sure they won't be too traumatised when they're older.

I don't like it much either.

One of the reasons for me is because the two phrases that are usually used ('little man' and 'little lady') aren't equal. 'Little man' is suggesting manly qualities, whereas 'little gentleman' if used would suggest politeness and considerate behaviour. "Little lady" is implying a whole set of stereotypical 'ladylike' behaviours, whereas 'little woman' would imply womanly qualities.
So by calling a girl 'little lady' we're already imposing some expectations on her.

I know lots of people will think I'm overthinking this but I am very interested in how we set up expectations for our children and this seems to be part of it.

'Princess' is even worse to me as there is such a suitcase-full of expectation and association there.

I also accept that some people really think that all of this is not important. I think it's part of a fundamental issue about how we bring up our children. But some people will think I'm a sententious twat for thinking that.

Disappoint! Exactly what I was trying to say earlier but got mixed up and ended up sounding confused. Thank you for expressing it clearly!

Glad it came out making sense!

...

DS is little man, little dude, sausage or chickpea depending on my mood.

YABU, wind your neck in!

YANBU. It's such a trivial thing, as pp have pointed out, but that doesn't stop it irritating the hell out of me.

I have a relative who is always referring to her toddler DS as "my sexy little man" (boak) on FB. But then she also refers to herself as a "yummy mummy" and her OH as "Hubz", (although they're not even married) so it's just one in a long line of irritations.

I know a woman who's given birth recently to a 'mancub' vomit!

yorkshapudding "I have a relative who is always referring to her toddler DS as "my sexy little man" (boak) on FB."

WTF is the matter with the woman? Haven't you asked her what it is she finds so sexy about her toddler? Ugh! It really makes me sick that people talk like that about children.

YANBU Infucking hate it 'little man' 'wee man' urgh makes me sick, my husbands family use it all the time, anytime my son looks in the direction of a female it's all 'oh look at the wee man, checking out the sexy ladies, you're a ladies man little man'

Ds was known as little man by everyone, including us. It's a term of endearment, I think you're over thinking it. We don't say it so much any more now he's a bit older though. I also occasionally refer to children as 'little people'.

YANBU. A relative on FB referred to my unborn baby as both 'Lil Man' and 'bubs' the other day and it made me grit my teeth.

PippilottaViktualia don't you challenge your husband's family when they say things like that? It's sick.

Ugh. Hate the term 'little man'. I have read/heard of penises being referred to as little man (?) so whenever I hear it used for a child I feel a little bit sick. Also utterly DESPISE Princess/Prince

Peridotisinvalid Yes, I do everytime. It makes me so mad. But to be honest they are thick and put it down to my 'funny foreign ways'. They have no clue what they are actually saying I don't think, no matter how many times I challenge them about it.

The adjective sexy to describe a baby or child is just so strange to me.

I was reading a blog post about a family with a baby that was very sadly terminally ill. I was horrified when the father spoke of her last moments, saying something along the lines of "she did sexy eyes for the last time" I had no idea that babies did or had sexy eyes

How awful, Pippilotta, you have my sympathy. I only hope you don't have to spend too much time with them.

It's both completely baffling and very disturbing, isn't it, dolkapots?

Yanbu.
I get when you say a term of endearment, it is fine and can be quite sweet.

I dislike seeing it written down although I think context is everything. It's fine on netmums some other websites, fits in perfectly well.

It doesn't belong on mumsnet.