Terms Of Endearment Patronization

Used to be, back in my ADM days, everybody would darling and dear one another. Aileen, I remember, would always tag her sentences with dearie, but only when she was trying to be patient to your idiotic fat face - as in: "Just click on that button, dearie." If she dearie-d with me, I would get snide with her.

Kai did the same thing with me, but because we were at the stage where we could finish each other's sentences or decipher each other's mood with just one look, I never minded her "No, darling, that's not how you do it ..."

At the play center, I've been sweetheart-ed and love-ed many times. At this point, I've grown immune to these terms of endearment patronization - they've long ceased to be terms of endearment.

I'm guilty of it as well. Me, I go, "No, sweetie ..." or "Oh, just shut the fuck up, willya, honey?"

It's everywhere - this misuse of terms of endearment. What if there came a day you'd scream, "Learn to fucking drive, sweetheart!" to the person who rear-ended you - would you go home to murmur, "I love you, you motherfucking asswipe" to your Significant Other?