To think that this is inappropriate?

[cerealnamechangers]

An acquaintance on Facebook posted a picture of her toddler son with the caption 'jack was howling on the school run today and people were commenting saying oh poor him, well no quite frankly he's just being a twat and I'm allowed to say that because he's my child' she then posted an update later ' received some lovely messages from my rant this morning some people are afraid to state the truth but I'm not if you've never referred to your toddler as a twat then you are a liar' I have since unfriended her as I think referring to a child as a twat is disgusting and I can't see the funny side of it to be honest. Have I just lost my sense of humour?

I've called my kids all things under the sun but wouldn't be calling them a twat on fakebook. What you say in private is kept private what you say in public will always be judged.

It's so interesting how the same word means different things in different parts of the U.K. Here twat just means a bit of a wally, and a toerag is a scallywag - a person might say "he's a right little toerag" meaning "he's up to no good". I'd also say "Jane got twatted on Saturday night", meaning very drunk. None of these would be considered offensive.

Yes I accept that gwen a lot of people use it differently. But the original meaning is still in widespread use, nowhere near obsolete.

I get that some people are saying they use the term affectionately as in "you daft bugger"/ "you silly twat" but it is not quite the case here - she is name calling in genuine annoyance and I don't know - it would not be ok for my husband to call me a twat if he was annoyed with me or we were having a disagreement about something. Equally he'd be upset if I called him a prick in anger. I don't really feel therefore it is acceptable to use that kind of name-calling towards a child because they've got on my nerves. They are not less deserving of respect in that way just because they're smaller. If I wouldn't like it myself, I wouldn't direct it at my children, as that would be hypocritical in my view.

There is a difference between affectionate use of swear words and using them against someone because you are pissed off with them; I suspect very few people genuinely don't mind the latter.

An old friend posted that her DD (15) loves to have a few drinks - can't remember the exact wording, but she wasn't talking about Fanta. I wondered if I should say something (you really want to tell a large, slightly random set of grown-up people this??!), but bottled it. as we aren't really in touch much. People just don't think sometimes. If you like your acquaintance generally, I don't think you should unfriend her over this. She was just expressing her frustration.

It depends on what you take that work to mean.
For example, where I'm from the word Fanny to describe the vagina/vulva is slightly vulgar but someone people use it for their children to describe it and I find that really weird but get that it isn't weird for others. Similarly, I have no problem with calling someone a cunt (well usually about them rather than to their face) as I don't see it as that shocking, although am aware most others would.
My point is, plenty of people refer to their kids as assholes, they might not see the word twat as any more or less offensive. I probably wouldn't use any of the above words on Facebook. I hate Facebook.

Been very interested to see "twat" isn't as bad a word in some areas. When I was young I freely used it thinking it was the equivalent of twit😁 Until it was pointed out to me what it was supposed to mean and some people are very offended by it. I think people should vent but not on FB so YANBU based on that -I abstain from any FB status making.

The child does have special needs which makes it more inappropriate as he is obviously struggling not being a 'twat'.

I would never use most of these words being bandied about here, I think it's awful to swear about your child and would certainly raise an eyebrow at twat! It's tricky though - we hear all sorts in the playground and it's hard to explain to mine that we don't say x and y but some other families think it's OK.....! But in terms of sounding off about - or to - my kids, I would never say anything about them that I wouldn't say to their faces. I swallow the 'you little devil' that might spring to mind and usually go for 'monster', or 'Horrorbag' (that's a good one, from an old family joke about Haribos, and really feels like a swear word when you need one)! DS (8) made me laugh though recently when he told me he was 'appalled' at my behaviour, - I've obviously been unusually refined in my recent tellings off and my pompous words are coming back to haunt me......

People refer to other people like that on this very forum. Go figure.

i don't think the Facebook user should have used the word twat. i don't like name calling. it is unnecessary. why on earth she couldn't have said "naughty" or "annoying" instead of twat i don't know

i wouldn't unfriend someone over it though. friendships are too important for letting minor stuff ruin them. i think people have become more oversensitive since FB has been around. i know someone who was unfriended because of a political status she wrote. nothing horrendous. just disagreeing with something that was going on. which was a contentious issue anyway. it is childish to end a friendship because you disagree with someone over something

She's probably hoping to be like that famous "Mummy blogger" who posts "honest" statuses on FB all the time and has thousands of followers.

children's misbehaviour should be kept private not bandied around on facebook. if the child saw it they might feel shamed. how misbehaviour is dealt with should be a family matter. there was a woman who shaved her daughter's head as punishment and posted it on social media. i was like what??? when i was a kid we were grounded or yelled at or whatever, not humiliated on facebook. i feel sorry for kids today (and i know that makes me sound like a little old lady.....)

Prat (and possibly twit) was originally a word used to describe a pregnant goldfish.

I may have posted on the Litter Tray board that my cat was being an arse. Hopefully he never learns to access the internet.

Well I never was one for posting about my personal life on facebook, but I were I could have posted that about my dgd. She is the apple of my eye, but she throw a major strop coming back from school the other day and I'm sure half the neighbourhood think that I am the evil grandmother from George's Marvellous Medicine.

What does it matter, some people prefer brat (me), some people prefer twat.

Is this an issue about making nevative comments about our own children
Or
About posting said comments
Or
About using the word twat
For example had the mum said
He was being a pig
Would everyone feel more comfortable ?
I think this mum is saying
We should not be afraid to admit that our children can be awful sometimes
It then comes down to our sensitivity over language . The word twat has become far less contentious for many people over the years , for some its a slight step up from twit , for others it's only a slight step down from c .

So is it the sentiment being objected to or the language used to express it ?

Tw*t is a vulgar word that I shall never use! except where Bing Bunny is concerned

I call DD my little monster/monkey/devil but I would never call her a twat/bugger/c*... They're such horrible words and certainly not fitting for my 2yo.

I don't think it's inappropriate, kids can be little arses, no harm in saying it, everything is PC now a days.

To be fair, toddlers are notorious for acting like right little dicks!

YABU and, to use the hyperbole of some supporters on this thread, are being 'vile', 'disgusting', & 'inappropriate' for defriending her on Facebook over a word you don't like, that's just precious.

The child does have special needs which makes it more inappropriate as he is obviously struggling not being a 'twat'.

Nice bit of drip feeding there.

Kids with SN can be twats/little tykes/whatever word you choose. Give the woman a break ffs, you sound like you're trying to demonise a parent who has clearly had a very difficult morning.

I used to have a friend that never swore - ever! Nothing even close to a swear word would ever come out of her mouth. Yet she used twat frequently. I was really confused by this until one day I asked her why she was happy to use the word yet berates me for my rather colourful language. Turns out she genuinely had no clue what twat meant. She thought it was like twit or something. She was absolutely gutted and mortified to find out the truth. Whilst I thought it was bloody hilarious!

Look, call your children those names names if you want. It's not precious or hyperbole to think its vulgar though; that's what the word means.

I presume everyone is happy to be called names like twat/shit/arse themselves during an argument or when their dh/dm is annoyed at you, and it be put on social media? And all happy for their child to call them a twat when they're pissed off with you? Because that's your prerogative but I surprised that it's the case, and if not, why is it ok for children? Because they are like cats and won't read it?

And for me, it's all 3. The word itself, the fact is in in public, and, while I think having a negative thought about yr child is one thing, I think it's a bit shitty to channel it into name-calling.

Twat is so mild round here that my colleagues and I call each other twats as a term of endearment or an affectionate alternative for, "You idiot!"

Loving the pearl-clutching on this thread, though. Don't stop.

Oh epic drip feed there op.

I wouldn't call my child a twat on Facebook or otherwise but the child having sn is not relevant here.