An unusual thing to say to a child....

[Mosaic]

Now I don't approve of name-calling but you might overhear a child being called something like dafty, silly devil, numpty or whatever by its parent. Today a little girl of about 6 playing around, summoned by mum with 'come 'ere, pothead'....

...?.....

[daffy654]

My neighbour loudly calls her toddler son a little b*stard all the time. Some young parents don't seem to have a clue how to bring up children correctly.


*just realised I sound very old with that statement*

[Nibble]

Eee! Not like when you were young, daffy? ☺

[erin-x]

Pothead is a bit much... :|

Most names like that are meant to be taken as a term of endearment. My mum still calls my brother bawheed! Lol!!

[Mosaic]

I don't actually think this is generational. It seems to me to show a disregard for the plain fact that a parent moulds the child's emotional development. A child that is called 'stupid' will lack self-esteem. A child that is called pothead....I suppose, will for starters be in an environment where street drug use is normalised.
OK, I'm old.

[rojash]

We used to call our son poobag (for fairly obvious reasons) when he was young. I'm pretty sure it hasn't had a detrimental effect on his life.

[erin-x]

I think that the way such names are used makes the difference here. My family use names like dafty etc but with a sense of humour and we were brought up to never take it seriously... I don't know if that makes much sense! Lol!

[Mosaic]

I still refer to my adult son in similar terms Rojash......

all obviously with affection.

But pothead?

[Old_Geezer]

Perhaps, when she was younger, she got her head stuck in her potty ?

[woofgang]

you know what? When I read the question cannabis never occurred to me, I was thinking of it as a loving insult...maybe babe had an odd shaped head at birth as often happens.

[boxtops]

My father used to call me Fishface, I don't think it affected my development.

[Ratty2E]

It could actually have been her name. It wouldn't surprise me these days lol

[mike11111]

I was horrified some years ago when I heard a mother calling to her child who was running around in the shopping centre: "Come here, you f*****g little sh*t!"

[joko]

i have heard people using the term pot-herb, to mean daft etc

perhaps thats what she said...?

[NOX]

yeah a pot head is someone stupid nothing to do with drugs- west country I think certainly remember hearing it in Bristol area.

[woofgang]

My bristolian fil has been known to use the term "pot egg" for a useless person. Pot eggs are used to encourage chickens to lay in the right place or to keep a broody hen broody if you want her to hatch other eggs

[joko]

not sure where pot-HERB comes from, but i do remember my bro saying it

[Mosaic]

Interesting about the pot-egg etc - not heard in round east Lancashire (we aren't especially known for free range chickens....)

[ummmm]

It depends how it's said.

[Duncer]

I used to refer to my nephew as "The abomination", a term he used himself when he was old enough to pronounce it, and it was never more than a jest.

I believe that the way you treat someone is more important, and he was spoiled rotten.

[Mosaic]

TBH Umm I'm not sure - I wonder where the line falls between labelling a child and affectionate name-play. You can call someone 'stupid' in many tones, but if it's what you call them all the time....