Dr. Kiddo
- Catherine Addor
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Stop Calling Grown Women “Kiddo”
I am 55 years old.
I’ve worked since I was 16.
I spent 34 years in education, most of them in leadership roles.
I’ve presented in rooms filled with thousands of people.
I’ve earned a doctorate.
I’ve been published.
I’ve led districts, built programs, managed teams, and navigated crises.
Across my entire career (from my twenties to this very day), men I have worked for and alongside have called me “kiddo.”
Not once.
Not occasionally.
Consistently.
Let that sink in.
Not my name.
Not my title.
Not “Dr.”
Not “Director.”
Not even a simple “Catherine.”
Kiddo.
On the surface, some people insist it’s harmless.
Affectionate.
Generational.
A habit.
Language carries power.
Words shape how people are perceived and positioned.
Calling a grown, accomplished woman “kiddo” is not neutral.
It subtly places her beneath you.
Younger.
Less authoritative.
Less serious.
Less equal.
It is a form of infantilization, whether intentional or not.
Infantilizing strong, capable women is one of the quiet ways systems of inequality keep reproducing themselves.
I didn’t stay silent.
I directly asked for it to stop.
More than once.
It continued.
That’s the piece people often overlook.
Once someone tells you a term makes them uncomfortable (and you continue to use it) it’s no longer accidental.
It becomes dismissive.
It communicates:
Your discomfort matters less than my habit.
My comfort matters more than your dignity.
This isn’t about being offended.
It’s about being acknowledged as a professional adult who has earned her seat at every table she’s sat at.
No one calls male colleagues with decades of experience “kiddo.”
No one pats them verbally on the head while they’re leading meetings or presenting strategy.
The pattern is not random.
It’s gendered.
It’s generational.
It’s deeply ingrained.
That doesn’t make it acceptable.
We are in a moment when we talk a lot about equity, inclusion, and respect in the workplace.
This is part of that work.
Not just policies.
Not just training.
Not just mission statements.
Everyday language.
The offhand comments.
The nicknames.
The “harmless” habits that send very real messages.
Leadership (at every level) requires awareness.
If someone asks you to stop referring to them in a certain way, the response isn’t an explanation.
It’s correction.
Here’s the ask:
If you work with women (especially women in leadership) pay attention.
Use names.
Use titles.
Use the same respect you instinctively give men.
If you’ve ever used “kiddo,” “sweetheart,” “young lady,” or anything similar in professional spaces, pause and reflect.
Impact matters more than intent.
Strong, smart, accomplished women don’t need to be softened, minimized, or made smaller through language.
We’ve already done the work.
I’ve earned every role I’ve held.
I’ve earned every credential I carry.
I’ve earned my voice.
So have countless women like me.
We are not “kiddo.”
We are leaders.
Professionals.
Experts.
Equals.
It’s time our language caught up to reality.
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