To call my toddler a git?

[Sandsnake]

Lighthearted but I'm genuinely curious. PIL are staying and 15mo DS needed his nappy changed. DH took him upstairs, MIL followed to help and I said 'good luck! DS can be a bit of a git about having his nappy changed at the moment'. She was genuinely shocked, it was like I'd referred to him as a really bad swear word (she later referred to it as me calling him the 'g word'). This wasn't in front of DS as he was already upstairs.

I've just never seen 'git' as a particularly bad word. Is it? I genuinely want to know if I need to reign in my casual git calling... MIL is lovely but from quite a different background to me so maybe that's it.

I'm Northern and where I am from, "git" is a pretty nasty term and seen as far more malevolent in intent than "bugger".

No one would bat an eyelid at a parent referring to a child as a "right little bugger", but there'd be some exchanged glances over "right little git" and people would suspect the parent might be abusive.

I think a lot of terms like this can have very specific regional connotations that do not exist in other places.

I like git. I see it as more affectionate than anything as in "being a cheeky git". I don't think it's offensive.

I didn't realise it was short for illigitimate though! That's interesting.

Ya wee bism - there's a good scots one for you!

I'm northern too and "git" is seen as being a pretty nasty, so no wonder your MIL was shocked, I would be too.

Mum was from Newcastle - maybe she just hated us all!

Yanbu.

Why did your mil feel the need to help with a nappy change though 😂 doesn't take two people.

I regularly refer to my 11mo as little git and sod.

I'm northern, swear like a trooper - but not in front of, or about grandchildren. Hearing a small child referred to as a 'git' would really jar. Regional and generational I guess. I was also a primary teacher; describe the behaviour, not the child.