Miniature Men

Our friend Dan calls his four-month old son, "the darling despot."  Seems apt.

 Something I'm wondering about:

Why do people refer to boy babies/toddlers as "little man," and "buddy," but don't refer to girl babies as "little woman"?

Is it because it's disorienting to have a small-scale male?   That it's somehow lese majeste, even demeaning to the child, so we pump it up a bit?  Where does this come from?  It happens before babies can even ask to be called a man or a guy.

Rylan's adorable, but I'm not seeing a man here. Not yet. 

 I find myself calling three-year old Rylan, "little guy," sometimes.  Meaning: you may be little, but you're still a "guy," with the capability and status that term connotes?   But he's no more powerful than a girl his age, and I've never called a three-year old girl "little woman," or "little chick," or whatever the equivalent would be.

I see this all the time on blogs, and I hear it when some mothers refer to their very young sons.

And baby girls are called "sweetheart," or "little girl,"  which is fine, but why the difference?

Can't baby boys be allowed their time as merely vulnerable, sweet people?  To hell with being brave, stalwart, and manly--that'll come soon enough.