What does it mean when adults talk about kids like this?

[Ashleyy]

Why do people use quotation marks when they talk about their kids sometimes. For example one might say that there four year old daughter “helped“ with a certain activity. Or, I rough House with my friends, but I “ rough house“ with my 7 year old. Or, my friend beat me in an arm wrestle because he is so strong, but, my seven-year-old beat me in an arm wrestle because she is so “strong”. Why do they use quotation marks sometimes and other times not? Use examples.

Also, why do people put the words for a kid after their sentences. For example, when play fighting with their child they might say that she puts up a pretty good fight and is strong, for a kid. Or when measuring her height, she is tall, for a kid. Or that’s pretty impressive, for a kid. That picture hanging on the fridge is very good, for a kid. Why do people throw in the words for a kid or for their age after they make the comment? Isn’t it diminishing? I mean, I have never heard anyone say that person is strong for an adult. So why do they do it with the children?

Also a kid flexes their arms and say something like, i’m going to take you down, or, when you were at the store and you were pushing one of the carts with a steering wheels and your kid says, i’m driving. what does it mean when the grown-up responds with, Ok, Sure, Kid ? Isn’t this dismissing the child?

[Michael]

Seems to me the person is trying to make the person reading understand what’s important from their perspective. It’s kinda passive aggressive behaviour.

[Ashleyy]

Seems to me the person is trying to make the person reading understand what’s important from their perspective. It’s kinda passive aggressive behaviour.

Sorry but your post was a little bit confusing. What exactly do you mean?

[e.j.]

Why do people use quotation marks when they talk about their kids sometimes. For example one might say that there four year old daughter “helped“ with a certain activity. Or, I rough House with my friends, but I “ rough house“ with my 7 year old. Or, my friend beat me in an arm wrestle because he is so strong, but, my seven-year-old beat me in an arm wrestle because she is so “strong”. Why do they use quotation marks sometimes and other times not? Use examples.

Also, why do people put the words for a kid after their sentences. For example, when play fighting with their child they might say that she puts up a pretty good fight and is strong, for a kid. Or when measuring her height, she is tall, for a kid. Or that’s pretty impressive, for a kid. That picture hanging on the fridge is very good, for a kid. Why do people throw in the words for a kid or for their age after they make the comment? Isn’t it diminishing? I mean, I have never heard anyone say that person is strong for an adult. So why do they do it with the children?

Also a kid flexes their arms and say something like, i’m going to take you down, or, when you were at the store and you were pushing one of the carts with a steering wheels and your kid says, i’m driving. what does it mean when the grown-up responds with, Ok, Sure, Kid ? Isn’t this dismissing the child?

Quotation marks used like the ones in your examples usually mean that the person who is speaking doesn't mean the words literally and is basically sharing a little laugh with the other adult. Kind of like, "My kid is so strong! (wink, wink) They may want their kid to feel good about himself but also want the adult they're speaking with to know they're not saying it with total seriousness. In the first example, the daughter probably feels great because she thought she was being a big help but her "help" was actually more of a hindrance. The parent doesn't want her to feel discouraged so when speaking with another adult, uses quotes which, most likely, goes over the child's head.

As far as the "for a kid" comments, it's probably because the speaker wants the listener to know they recognize that relatively speaking, the child isn't as strong, tall or talented as people in the general population but compared to other kids their age, they are strong, tall and talented.

My guess is that most adults who say these things probably don't intend to be dismissive and that the kids, who usually take words literally, don't hear those comments that way, either.