Vermont tells parents to call children 'kids' because son, daughter not 'inclusive' enough

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) published public advice to families on Wednesday, encouraging parents to refer to their children as "kids" rather than "son" or "daughter," alleging that these phrases are not "inclusive" enough.

The recommendation was included in a social media post regarding "inclusive language for families." In addition, that post advocated for the use of the term "family members" rather than "household members" to encompass incarcerated individuals, step-siblings, and others who might not live in the house.

"The language we use matters!" the health agency wrote. "When talking about family, it's important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like."

The list of recommendations and the department's explanations are as follows: "Use 'child' or 'kid' instead of 'daughter' or 'son.' This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone's legal son or daughter. Say 'family members' rather than 'household members.' Not all families live in the same home - think divorced, or incarcerated parents, stepsiblings, etc. Say 'family' rather than 'extended family.' Often grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are important parts of a core family unit."

The post contains a link to subscribe to the department's Health Equity newsletter.

VDH's website prominently displays numerous social justice pillars that the state department considers essential. These encompass equity, inclusion, and harmony, or DEI initiatives. "We aim to center health justice and address racism and all forms of oppression in our programs and policies, our approach to collaboration, and how we build and nurture our workforce," the website states. 

Also included on its website are links to articles such as "What it's like to be a migrant worker in Vermont" and "Why is Vermont so overwhelmingly white?"

The family guidance was met with criticism from individuals on social media, particularly X, who referred to the recommendations as "insanity," "loony tune woke world," and "absolute madness."