Why you shouldn't call your kids this very Aussie name

“100% of the people I know that use this phrase are sh*tty parents with annoying kids.”

I know. Your sweet little angel transformed into an angry beast lashing and thrashing on the supermarket floor, and then you really need to vent to your mum-friends about how your child was a "little sh*t".

But maybe think twice about calling them that, even behind their backs.

Sure, swearing is cathartic, as most parents know. 

Many of us have a copy of Go The F*** to Sleep on the bookshelf. We’ve all screamed profanities silently on tough days so we can emerge as serene Mother Earth and chop up organic carrots.

But I've found that when it comes to letting off steam with other mums, calling your children "little sh*ts"for a laugh is a bad habit - and I should know, because I did it all the time.

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"Wait until you find out what we call good friends"

In response to ‘Thoughts on Australians calling their kids little s****’ on Reddit,  one user responded, “They’re called little s**** because they aren’t big yet”.

A few people agreed that it’s an alternative for the word ‘brat.’

But many agreed it's a very Aussie thing to do and saw no issue.

As one wrote, “Wait until you find out we call good friends here bast**rds”; and another pointed out that “Among many Australians, the words alone don’t make it derogatory.” 

But speaking from experience, I’m not sure it’s totally harmless using the term in venting.

There’s something about words that can linger in the atmosphere, creating negative vibes. We agonise over naming our babies because we know the names will become part of their identity. Unique, but not too unique, expressing something about who we hope they might become.

But then... are you really surprised that kid named Merlin is a bit on the kooky side? 

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Cherie with her kids. Image: supplied

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"Shitty parents with annoying kids"

In the same way, referring to your kids as "little sh*ts", even in your frustration, is going to creep into your psyche and maybe even change the way you respond to them at other times.

“100% of the people I know that use that phrase are s****y parents with annoying kids,” another Reddit user wrote, and I think there’s something in that. 

Even if said in jest, parents should be mature enough to swallow their frustrations and not resort to name-calling their kids behind their backs. We should be able to self-soothe without swearing and work out what our child’s behaviour is communicating. 

In theory, of course. Not always in practice.

Sure, they just tipped all the dirt out of your potplants and are now giving the dog a mudbath on the new couch, but maybe they’re bored? Maybe it seemed like an excellent idea to them then?  

Look, I’m preaching to myself here. I know how good it feels to drop an S-bomb and the instant relief it brings. It’s cheaper than psychology and healthier than drinking.

But I've stopped doing it because I don’t want it to become a habit. Words have power, even if we think ‘words alone’ aren’t derogatory.

Originally published as Why you shouldn't call your kids this very Aussie name