Jeez, I've been hearing/reading "hubby" since I was a wee 'un in the early 90's - it always seemed like a perfectly normal casualization of "husband" to me.
"Littles", though - that's definitely internet-era and I do hate it. Just use the perfectly well-established, fittingly casual "kids" if "children" is too stuffy.
You are the third person I see mentioning it. Is there a misunderstanding?
I think it's used to identify the age range of kids other than just as a nickname. I personally get confused sometimes because people's kids can range from 0 to 70, I guess. Because even to a 90-year-old grandma her 70-year-old son is a child. This is an extreme example.
But among GenX and Millenials it's hard to identify when a person says "my kids..." if they are in there twenties or teens or toddler years. So when someone says "littles" I immediately know they have children under the teenage years. Or if they have a mix of different ages, the "littles" are the youngest of them all.
I myself have an almost 20-year-old, and then 8yo and 11yo on the other hand. Two completely different generations. Yes, they totally do feel like "littles" compared to her. I don't use the word as much but I refer to them as "younglings" sometimes which I'm sure every person on this sub will also hate just because.
It's weird when you're talking to a friend you've known for 30 years and the kids are like 2 and 3 and they call them "littles" instead of "kids". Using it as an extra-descriptive term for people who have multiple generations of kids or whatever is a use I've personally never experienced, but yeah, that use would make more sense.
I probably haven't experienced it in real life yet, but I see how that sounds strange, especially if it's someone you know.
But on the internet it does help with clarity, however now I'm not even sure that's what people imply lol. Anyways, that's how I would use it if need be.
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u/Yandoji 8h ago
Jeez, I've been hearing/reading "hubby" since I was a wee 'un in the early 90's - it always seemed like a perfectly normal casualization of "husband" to me.
"Littles", though - that's definitely internet-era and I do hate it. Just use the perfectly well-established, fittingly casual "kids" if "children" is too stuffy.