Word to the wise: Stop telling my kid this in front of his face

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     December 20, 2023 Am I the parent who overreacts at the playspace? The question loomed over me as [I wrote about a recent experience]( involving a woman who, in instructing her son not to snatch toys from my son, physically labeled my kid as "small" to his face. "He’s a little guy. We have to be nice to little guys," she said as my toddler took in this description of him. [I go long on the encounter here, perhaps too long](. But several issues arose as I wrestled with why the comment irked me to the degree that I had to write about it: bad ideas on masculinity, projecting insecurities onto our kids, in-vogue styles of parenting, redshirting, and my unfailing neuroses. You can come out of reading the piece in two camps. That I am indeed overthinking this stuff and have doomed my kid into a life of weirdness. Or maybe I'm getting at something real, that in our parenting era's obsessive need to label different styles of parenting, we can twist our behavior in such a way that forgets basic manners to other children. [I'd love to know your thoughts on the incident here](. Bonus question: Did you get labeled a small kid, and if so, did it leave long-lasting consequences? [Then I especially want to hear from you](. Whatever the case, my neuroses will see you at the playspace! —Inae Oh Advertisement [Center for a Humane Economy]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Colorado Supreme Court Just Disqualified Trump From the 2024 Ballot]( BY MADISON PAULY SPONSORED CONTENT BY CENTER FOR A HUMANE ECONOMY   Make a Year-End Donation to Stop Animal Cruelty Your end of year contribution helps Center for a Humane Economy work year-round to protect animals and stop animal cruelty across the globe. If we reach $25,000 in gifts, your donation will be matched and have double the impact! [Donate today.]( Together we can work to end animal cruelty in culture and our economy. [Trending] [Stop telling my kid he's small]( BY INAE OH   [Biden ordered the DOJ to stop using private prisons. Thousands are still being held inside.]( BY MADISON PAULY   [Young progressives are disgusted with Biden over Israel]( BY NOAH LANARD   [Henry Ford perfected the mass production of cars—and antisemitism]( BY SAM VAN PYKEREN Advertisement [Center for a Humane Economy]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Can the Endangered Species Act protect species from today's political attacks and climate shocks?]( Fifty years after it was first signed, the act faces new threats. BY MOTHER JONES STAFF [We need your help right now] We have a big $350,000 year-end fundraising goal, and whether or not we raise [the money we need]( is going to come down to the wire. If there’s any way you can right now, please help and support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a year-end gift of whatever amount works for you. $5 or $50, it all makes a difference when added up with your fellow readers. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755