Dear Blake,
My problem is, my husband still calls — and refers to — his daughters by their childhood nicknames, “Peanut” and “Poopsie.” They reciprocate by calling him by silly names instead of “Dad” or “Father.” Seeing these adult women reverting to childhood drives me up a wall. They talk and act like little girls and use baby talk with each other, too.
I have shared with my husband more than once that this “innocent” nickname game keeps his daughters stuck in old childhood patterns, while keeping other family members out of the conversation. How would you suggest I handle this?
Signed, Mary
From Topeka, Kansas
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Dear Mary,
Adults sounding like children is probably irritating to most people. However, there are certain things you can do that’ll make them think twice about sounding like underdeveloped brained preschoolers. Here are some ideas. Every time your husband calls his daughter “Peanut” starts laughing, and explain that even the largest dinosaur’s brain was around the size of a peanut, so you intellectually understand why she was given the name. In regard to his other daughter “Poopsie”, also start laughing when he calls her that, and explain that she smells like she has some major intestinal issues, and start spraying Glade every time she enters the room. You didn’t say what they called your husband, but if it’s a toddler title, tell his daughters that it sounds like they are poking fun at their father’s nightly bed wetting issues. My guess is, after you take any of my suggestions, they’ll come up with at least two nicknames for you. One of them will rhyme with “witch”. And the other one will rhyme with “door” (or “doe” if you’re from the hood). I hope this helps.
Blake