This blog was written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens:
Luci and Rosalie are lovely names, yet I find myself more often than not using pet names when I talk to my girls.
“How was your day Kitten?”
“Ready for bed Peanut?”
“That dress is adorable, Princess.”
Why is that?
A friend of mine insists that such names are demeaning and hide a deeper, sinister, motive. She says calling your child pet names means you consider them an object or a piece of property. Referring to children as a thing is a way of avoiding an emotional connection with another human.
Hmm. I just thought they were cute nicknames.
Anyone ever heard of this theory? Do you have pet names for your children?
I have only used one “pet name” with any consistency, that is Sweet Pea. For some reason it has stuck while others have fallen away and I only use it for one of four children. I have tried for other names for the other three, but nothing has stuck like Sweet Pea. I deffinately refer to my girls as Princess and sweety and the boys are Bud’s. I think pet names are a unique way to connect with your children, not nicknames that everyone can use.
I agree Chris!
I use the names that my grandmother used for us when we were kids: “Sweetheart, darling, lovebird” (yes, all one name. and yes, it’s a bit much.) and “My little chick-a-dee.”