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I have a pet peeve and I'm curious as to others' experiences with this... First, I am in my late 40s, I'm a woman, and I work as a manager in a typical corporate environment. I like where I work and I get along great with everyone. However, 2x this week, someone has referred to me as 'kiddo' and I'm still feeling annoyed by it. One of the people who used this was male; the other was female. Both are just 4-8 years older than me. I can't imagine using this term myself... I wouldn't even consider using it for some of the much younger people who are working on my projects. It seems like it's a put-down. Am I being overly sensitive here or should I say something? What would you do if someone close to you in age called you 'kiddo' at work but you're very professional about your work and you also happen to be coming up on 50 soon?
It doesn't matter if you're being overly sensitive or not. If if bothers you, politely and diplomatically take the person to the side and simply tell them that you don't feel like a "kiddo." Be lighthearted about it if you can. It probably is a term of endearment. I have a name, like "Bob", that seems to give people the license to call me "Bobby." Well, I've not been "Bobby" since I was 5 years old. And I have no problem telling people more senior than myself that my name is "Bob."
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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You're being oversensitive---unless it is part of a bigger pattern of behavior. In my job, I work with lots of older (50-60's) men and I'm 39. They all call me kiddo. They also value my insight and give me kudos to the director when I do a good job. Now, if they were calling me "kiddo" and not valuing my contributions, that would be a different story.
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