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I didn't read the articles, so I might be missing something crucial, but it sounds ridiculous to me. I call little boys (jokingly!!) bossy if they're acting that way - I don't see it as a female-specific term.

I think there is a HUGE difference between being bossy and being a leader. Maybe some people just need to figure out the difference before throwing around labels

Bossy implies aggressive behavior without the required authority to back up the bossiness. It also smacks of pettiness and childhood tantrums . . . I would much rather be labeled a bitch. And calling a man bossy does not take on the same derogatory tone . . . .being called *A Boss* or being referred to as acting like *A Boss* is a compliment to a man's (apparent) authority (or swagger!).

ETA: I am 100% on board with the ban!

I'm not on board. I called nanny LO bossy the other day while we were at a play date. She said to the little boy, "V, go sit in time out! Two minutes!" I'd like to add, he did nothing wrong and sat right down in her time out spot Of course my friend and I thought it was hilarious. I still needed to tell her that she was not the boss of V.

I have no problem calling a boy child bossy either. I think their are plenty of ways to encourage children to be leaders, but I don't think erasing the word bossy is one of them.

I would also like to add that there is a HUGE difference in calling a child bossy versus calling an adult bossy . . . !

@travelingnanny: *not the boss of X* = *not in charge of x* . . . a very easy change to make.

@Danizaur: yes! That's the one lol. I hear that song in my head sometimes when I'm feeling sassy lol

@Mrs.Panda: Lol!!! Me too!

@MsLipGloss: To me it is! I wouldn't say it to a friend jokingly even. I guess in my world that b word and bossy is vastly different. I totally get where you said you would not want to be called bossy at work though for doing the same thing as a man might. I have never heard anyone calling another woman bossy at the work place; usually it's "she is such a micro-manager, she is so strict", etc. Then again I've only been at 2 companies!

Hm, I'm not sure how I feel about this, because LO isn't old enough that I've ever thought about calling her 'bossy'.
That being said, to me, bossy and sassy almost equate... as a kid, my mom used the two terms almost interchangeably. So I personally have no hard feelings.

I do agree, however, that boys tend to be labelled "strong-willed" or "leaders" and girls are tagged with "bossy" or "b*tchy"

@MsLipGloss: 100% with everything but mostly the fact that calling a child bossy vs. an adult is totally different.
Calling a child bossy means just that. "Quit bossing your little sister around on the playground".
But calling an adult that means that they are inferior and they need to know their place and quit trying to demand anything.

I think the whole issue is utterly ridiculous.

There's really nothing wrong with the word bossy. If you're throwing around orders to others when they're not your place to give, then you're bossy - male or female. The actual issue is the attitude people have about girls in charge vs boys. Personally, I think the people getting all hung up on the word are just distracting them self from the real problem here.

I have only heard "bossy" used with children. Depending on when the child was behaving in the fashion "bossy" was a point of pride. As much as I have heard women referred to as birches in the workplace I have heard men referred to as dicks. The unflattering comments cut both ways. Undesirable behaviors in managers such as micromanaging or being demeaning are labeled as such. If the real problem is that girls are still told they cannot be taken seriously as leaders let's address that. I think it's a missed opportunity when we rather ban "bossy" instead of reclaiming it.

I hope both of my kids are good leaders without being bossy. I don't think it's the same thing. I will be more careful about the word but I don't plan to ban it.

PS I think he last person I referred to as bossy was my husband.

@wonderstruck: To a woman in a profession dominated by men, this is by no means *petty*. For that same reason, it shouldn't be minimized or *petti-ized* by those who have never seen it or been on the receiving end of it. Bossy means "fond of giving people orders; domineering" . . . Synonyms are pushy, overbearing, high-handed . . . I think you get the idea.

Words have POWER. Make no mistake about that. And carry weight. And prejudice. And Misogynists and Bigots regularly use them as weapons in their perverse wars of anti-[fill in the blank here].

I can't get on board with this ban. There are so many other offensive things in the world. It's more important to teach kids to choose words wisely and how to be kind.
@MsLipGloss: maybe it's more personal for you but this word doesn't have really negative connotations for me. If someone s being bossy I think it's okay to say so.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a Sandberg fan. But that's for another day.

This bossy thing makes my eyes roll. Its arbitrary. A little boy can be just as bossy as a little girl. "Bossy" is like saying "boss-esque" or "acting like a boss." If you said my daughter is acting "like a boss" I don't think you'd get irritated. I agree saying that saying someone is acting "like a leader" sounds a little more refined, but again, that doesn't mean anything to me because you can be a bad leader too. I think ultimately, its the intention with which words are said. You can say someone is dominating, controlling, or ambitious and have it mean something positive, neutral, or negative, depending on how you meant for it to come off.

For instance, I get a little annoyed when I get an e-mail from someone signed "thanks." Why? Because usually the person using that word is not actually thanking you for something - they're using it to tell you to do something, fix something, change something. Then they tack a "thanks" on at the end as if it makes it better or polite. Does that mean I want to ban the word "thanks" in the written form because it has a derogatory connotation? No. It depends on the context and the intention.

Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. They can sense what the intention behind people's words are. Let your kids know you have their back and teach them that people are going to treat however they allow themselves to be treated. Teach them to not to stand for someone disrespecting them and to to speak up to you if someone is being derisive or dismissive. That is more effective than banning words. The creeps will just pick another word.

I agree with others that think this campaign is ridiculous. I don't allow my kid to boss around people he's not in charge of. When he does, I tell him to quit being bossy. "Bossy" is negative...usually demands are given without grace or people skills. "Leadership" is finding a way to lead people while at the same time not making them feel inferior you too. You can lead me...but I won't let you boss me.

While I agree boys and girls who are bossy are viewed differently I think there are better ways to support girls and turn them into leaders instead of trying to ban a word.