I call my son Monkey Boy. It started because of the way he used to cling to me like a baby monkey. My mother thinks that while it’s okay for me to call him that now, when he’s older it’s going to cause a complex. She thinks that people use the term monkey as an insult.
I personally love monkeys. I could see that using the terms ape or gorilla could be very hurtful, but not monkey.
So, do you think I should stop calling him by this nickname when he gets old enough to comprehend what I’m saying?
Hmmm… I call my kids whatever thing pops into my head at any given moment. Monkeys definitely play into a lot of them (I love monkeys). I feel pretty confident that they know that it’s a term of endearment and not anything derogatory, or at least with the older 2 (9 and 8).
And if it helps, the only time my son has ever balked at any of the monikers I’ve given him, it was when I called him my “baby boy”. He said I could call him “my baby” or “my boy” but “my baby boy” was right out. So it’s not like he won’t tell me when a name annoys or embarasses him.
If you stop now, then when he gets old enough to understand, he’s just going to start calling himself Monkey Boy. I and every kid I grew up with called ourselves that, because of the obvious observation that we’re pretty good at climbing things. It’s a compliment.
And “ape” certainly shouldn’t be offensive, since after all, he is one. But “gorilla” is just plain inaccurate.
A long time ago, Monkey Boy meant to me a kid that’s playful and likes to climb. Later, it became a disparaging term for humanity (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).
My mother’s nickname for me was “Pot” due to an incident involving my climbing into the toilet bowl when I was very young. (She even had a picture of me happily sitting in said fixture.) I never really minded it, altho it did get us some strange looks in the '70’s when I was a teenager.
Nah. We called my son Monkey Boy all the time. Now we’re calling his sister Monkey Girl. (I know it’s more technically accurate to call her Ape Girl, 'cause she doesn’t have a tail, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it.)
ShadiRoxan - IIRC from the birth announcement thread your son has the same RL name as mine, who is now nearly five.
I’ve also called him ‘monkey boy’ and ‘monkey’ from a very early age.
When he was two, he used the word ‘pookie’ for ‘monkey’ so that has been added on to the list of nicknames. I also call him ‘fat boy’ even though he’s skinny. He sometimes says ‘I’m not a monkey!’ and I say ‘Oh yes you are!’ and when he says ‘I’m not fat!’ I say, ‘I know, that’s why I call you that’ and he seems to get the (weak) joke.
I once heard him asking someone if they had a nickname, and telling them “I get called ‘pookie’” not without pride. So I think it’s OK.
Once they’re old enough, you can explain that it’s an endearment, and a joke. If they insist that they don’t like it, then you should drop it.
One of my greatest moments was calling my friend Alan Pants after making up a little rhyme about him which I don’t think I’ll share now. People that don’t actually know him to speak to, know him as Alan Pants and he even has a little theme tune to accompany him.
My fiance’s nickname was Monkey and he seems fine with it.
His brothers actually STILL call him that. I guess as long as it’s said with love it’s okay.
We called my daughter “peep eye” because she loved playing peek-a-boo so much but a few years ago she asked why we used to call her “pee pie”.
We called one of our kids a “chest monkey” when he was little.
I don’t mind friendly nicknames in the family but don’t like to use them outside of the house much. My kids are 7 and 9 and don’t like being called silly nicknames in front of their friends.
My son has two kids in his first grade class that got teased some about their nicknames. One was nicknamed “Boo”. His mom had written this on all his school supplies. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like such a bad nickname, but to many people in our neighborhood “boo” and “boo-boo” are a code word for “poop” as in “I need to boo (or boo-boo).”
The other boy’s nickname is “Johnny-cakes”. I’m pretty sure a johnny-cake is some kind of pancake, but it is definately a “baby” name for a big first-grader.
I don’t think I’ll be writing Monkey Boy all over his school supplies. That’s just asking for trouble. It’ll probably just be a little name I use around family. Only I call him that.
I also call him baby boy and boobie boy, but those names I’ll drop as he weans.
And just cause I love showing off my little Monkey Boy, here’s the reason I call him that:
I call my son “monkey boy” from time to time, as part of a general trend of “insert-something-here boy” nicknames. The only thign I’d be worried about is making sure there’s no one who may take offense if they overhear you using the nickname, and think you’re calling them instead – shouting “Come here, money boy!” at a crowd of strangers is probably not a smart idea.
Finally, for true geek creds, you must deliver the phrase “money boy” in the same voice as Lord John Whorfin in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.
“Laugh while you can, monkey-boy!”
What did the monkeys ever do to you to deserve that?