Why Tho? Kids, goats and the problem with the language police

Dear Lizzy,

I pray you and yours are doing well. I have a thorn on my side every time I hear or read someone refer to their children as “kids.” It bugs the dickens out of me. I even read one illustrious evangelist I wholly admire and respect did the same faux pas. As far as I am concerned, “kids” are little goats. To me, it is our fault (though I never do), cursing them to be one, and wonder why they are acting like one. Children should be referred to as children, not goats! One of my friends corrected her daughter when her daughter referred to herself as a kid by countering: “You’re not a goat; you’re a child!” I pray the name-calling stops with you so others may follow.

Human

Dear Human,

Many people have that one language thing that drives them bananas. I, personally, feel a little twinge in the back of my neck when I hear someone use a preposition at the end of a sentence. I come from a long line of grammatical purists and have an almost cellular hatred for the rhythm of a sentence ending in “at.”

However, after taking a shockingly interesting linguistics class in college, I realized my need to correct everyone who spoke American English differently than me was at best elitist and at worst racist.

I am not calling you racist! But what I am saying is that American English is a living language. There is no “correct” version and to assume the version you speak is correct negates the experiences of so many other people. It’s almost the definition of privilege to enter the school system already speaking the preferred academic dialect of our language. Children who don’t are often labeled as less intelligent than their peers who do, just because they speak a different version of the same language at home.

We are a country awash in dialects and diction, and the beauty and fluidity of our language is a strength, not a weakness. American English is not brittle – it makes way for new ideas and new voices all the time. I think that’s amazing.

Even in my industry, journalism, where we follow specific rules for consistency and readability, we acknowledge how the language changes. AP Style and our own stylebook are constantly evolving.

That’s why I recommend calling young people “children” if it works for you but letting it go when others use the word “kids” because for a lot of us, “kids” is just another, maybe slightly more casual word for “children.” The use of the word “kid” isn’t going away, so I suggest you take a deep breath and let it go.

Good luck!

Lizzy

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