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Babysitter kids' word-names

Tim Verboomen

2008/02/10 - 7:47am

I think these kids should be called nannykin -- these kids are her nannykin or her nannykins.

Patricia Porras-Ball

2008/02/10 - 7:51am

May I suggest: sitees?
If the babystters "sit" for babies, the babies must be the "sitees".
Patricia

Paul Friedman

2008/02/10 - 10:44am

Don't forget the classic name for children under supervision: charges.
Of course that may not capture the personal nature of the relationship. Maybe you could pun on that by calling them "depth charges?" or "close charges?" or "kid charges?" or "tender charges?"

Good luck with your equivalents. (Watsons is just too obscure!)

pjf

Joanne in Mission Hi

2008/02/10 - 10:47am

A nanny's charges are, of course, his/her "nanettes"!

Dave Blaine

2008/02/10 - 11:35am

How about "sit-children" as in step-children. E.g., this is Diane, my sit-child.

Also, the specific caller said she really loved her sit-children (see, the phrase is being used already!) and that she wanted a more definite term. For this special cases, how about "love-sit," as in: this is Diane, my love-sit-child.

All the best from an avid listener,
--dave

Stephen Mikesell

2008/02/10 - 5:53pm

How about "carekids", which follows from "caretakers" mentioned at the end of the show (Apologies for repeating this. I put this elsewhere but notice now there is a special topic category for it on the forum).

Vicki Krantz

2008/02/10 - 7:18pm

How about "Nannykids"? It seems to capture the affection Katherine Watson feels and, at the same time, conveys a sense of the relationship.

Jay from Tainter LAk

2008/02/11 - 10:19am

The kids (now adults) that we used to care for call me their pseudo- dad.

Martha Barnette

San Diego, CA

820 Posts

(Offline)

2008/02/11 - 11:25am

Hi, Dave -- I dunno about "love-sit-child." Too easy to confuse with "love child," I think.

Based on the responses we're getting, I'm starting to think whatever the word is should be some kind of diminutive, sort of like the word fancifully proposed for "nieces and nephews," nieflings.

Marc Naimark

2008/02/11 - 1:42pm

Reposting from episode thread...
Carees, so you can say "my carees have caries" after visiting the dentist.

Marge

2008/02/13 - 10:57am

I think that many of the suggestions are good. However, I think the questioner clearly loves these kids and that the fact she babysits them is now irrevelent. I like the expression kidpals.

Guest

2008/02/13 - 7:09pm

When I sat with kids many years ago, they called me the "sitter" and I called them my "sitter-kids". The word still rolls smoothly off my tongue. Related to this, I have been called "faux-daddy-o" by a grown woman in response to my asking her (facetiously) "Who's your daddy?".

Eric

2008/02/13 - 10:03pm

Although I was usually an unpaid babysitter of the kids of my best friend, we developed that uncle - nieces relationship which used to be difficult to sum up in a simple phrases.

The term I adopted early on and survives to this day (they are 17 and 21) is "rental kids."

Guest

2008/02/16 - 8:06am

My wife and I really liked "Watsons," which to us hearkens back to Holmes and Watson. "Sitter-kids" is probably more descriptive and understandable, however. If I heard someone refer to their "sitterkids," I'd know exactly to whom they were referring.

Martha Barnette

San Diego, CA

820 Posts

(Offline)

2008/02/16 - 9:25am

Hmmmm, these "sitter-kid" suggestions have me thinking now about "sitterkins" -- gets the diminutive idea across and also sounds like cuddly kittens.

(Of course, maybe all these names are saying more about ourselves than about the phenomenon per se!)

Sam

2008/02/16 - 2:57pm

How about referring to the children you babysit as your "junior partners" ?

Grant Barrett

San Diego, California

1532 Posts

(Offline)

2008/02/16 - 2:59pm

Sam, they'd sound like someone who worked at a white tennis shoe firm.

Diana Nolan

2008/02/18 - 11:32pm

I think adult children should be called "adren" thus a nanny's children should be called "nadren."

John Sh

2008/02/19 - 6:03pm

I suggest the term "careling" which clearly identifies this relationship. It also sounds like "hatchling" for a bird so it denotes the dependency/care relationship.

I think it would sound great to say "My darling carelings"

Is it a made-up word? Probably, but it works for me!
-JS

hedbanger

2008/02/20 - 1:12pm

i remember that "watsons" was suggested, the caller said "watsdaughters". mightn't that work for her? or watskids. of course, she'll probably find that every time she uses the term, she'll need to explain it.

for that reason, i don't see why a new word need be invented when the perfectly apt word "charge" exists. the caller seeks to find a word that makes it clear that she is fond of them. how about simply modifying the word: "my darling (precious, beloved, etc.) charges"? when the children in question are not so darling, a sitter can call them his/her horrid charges; though watsbrats IS cute!
just my 2¢.

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