They’re not the same thing, though. If you use infantilizing language with people of one sex until they’re 40, yeah, people are going to notice that and think it’s weird. I used to have a ton of unexamined behaviors like that before I worked on it a fair amount, and yeah, I was pretty lonely back when…
If you have access to Disney+ or piracy, watching a couple of (they’re eight minutes long) episodes of the show Bluey would probably charm your butt off and also give you a lot to go on for fun ways to engage with kids.
It’s all about being real and in the moment, and giving them ways to experience novelty. A parenting book my partner was reading reminded her that all you need to do to engage a (toddler, but the point stands) child’s interest is to turn the laundry basket upside down. Everything that’s dull to you is new to them (and everything that’s exciting to you, they’re often not ready for yet).
Yes, but if they regularly snore they probably have sleep apnea. If so, their life would likely be incredibly improved by a sleep study and maybe a CPAP machine.