annoying mother & mil

Hi . Just wanna rant here . I have a 4 years old son , and I've always been calling him " baby " . So even in public I'll go " baby come , let's go home " " baby , eat ok ? " And my mum and mil just came to tell me that I should stop . They said it's not good for his development if I always instill in him that he's still a baby . Any thoughts on this ? I'm so mad .

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VIP Member

Just my 2 cents worth, I have a 4 year old too and I don't call him baby anymore especially in public. In fact, I actively tell him he is not a baby anymore and that he is a big boy now and needs to be more independent. He can look at an infant and tell me this is a baby. They will always be our babies no matter how big they get but I feel it is to their advantage that they know the difference between what behaviour is acceptable in a baby and an older child. As for terms of endearment, I call them both "darling" instead. :)

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Doing it once in a while to show affection is ok. There's no rules saying you can't. Personally, I prefer to call all my kids by their first name. In school, teachers treat preschoolers like big boys and girls so calling them 'baby' might be a bit of a contradict when it comes to teaching/disciplining. You're his mother, only you know what's best. Regards to your mom/MIL, how about asking your hubby to call you 'baby' in front of them and see if that irks them further.🤣

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He is indeed ur baby so don’t care what they say. I think it’s lovely and intimate. Tell them kids will grow up one day and they will tell us when to stop calling them baby. We need to cherish every moment with our kids before they stop being clingy to us. My family has been addressing my younger sis as baby until she’s in secondary school and she’s definitely developing well haha

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TapFluencer

I’m 33, my dad calls me baobei all the way even in front of my husband. However, he stopped calling me baobei when my son arrived becos now the baobei name belongs to my son. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nothing is wrong even though i did not call my gal baby but darling.. and i told her that she was, is and always be my darling.. especially now im expecting my 2nd..

Ignore the old folks, that's just their obsolete old thinking. Nothing wrong with your approach, important is your son recognise you will do.

VIP Member

For me it’s okay thou. I call my daughter “baby” too or sometimes “baby girl” I don’t see anything wrong with that.

Relax just ignore.. my dad called me baby till I'm 20 plus year old hahaha.. I felt that there's nothing wrong

VIP Member

Actually it’s alright as long as the child is able to recognize own name when people call out.

VIP Member

My grandpa still calls me baby. I'm 25 this year lol. Obviously my development wasn't affected