Parenting

Mom's 'Baby Goat' Nickname Solution For Non-Binary Child Goes Viral

by Cassandra Stone
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Marc Bruxelle / EyeEm/Twitter/@BlondButch

This mom is showing us all how it’s done when it comes to giving them the greatest nickname of all time

Every parent has nicknames for their kids. Every. Single. One. Whether it’s something common and simple, like “sweetpea,” or something completely off-the-wall that just stuck one day, we’ve all got them for our kids. When a Twitter user came out as non-binary, they showed exactly how perfectly their mom adjusted to modifying their old nickname to fit who they are.

Twitter user Karuna (@blondbutch) says their mom called them “baby girl” for most of their life, but they’ve recently been “experimenting” with gender-neutral nicknames since they came out.

Naturally, mom nailed it.

“Hey baby goat (complete with goat emoji) – how’s today?” BABY. GOAT. OMG. It’s the greatest nickname of all time (see what I did there?).

Is there a cuter, more perfect animal to use as nickname inspo? I think not.

So how did their mom react to the news that she was “internet famous?” Adorably. “She was shocked and a little bit giddy,” Karuna tells Scary Mommy. “We both were. She was also touched that the tweet got so many heartfelt loving responses. We were talking last night and she commented on how the reason it went viral is probably because it’s really rare for parents to fully support their LGBT kids and a lot of people find comfort knowing accepting moms are out there.”

Twitter users exploded in support, because 1.) this is how you support your child and show unconditional love — it’s really that simple; and 2.) GOATTTTTTTT.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1142535002988732418

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1142120468570419202

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1142058033138343937

In a world where far too many children suffer unimaginable consequences from their parents and immediate family for coming out, this is the kind of sweet and simple story we need to see. Far too many people still place too much value on gender identity, too, rather than just accepting people for who they are and how they wish to be seen.

Non-binary is how people identify when they don’t feel male or female. They can describe themselves as non-binary, genderqueer, agender, bigender, and other ways that make them feel more authentic and comfortable. These terms, while not interchangeable, all speak to the experience of gender outside of typical male/female identity.

According to transequality.org, the idea that there are only two genders is sometimes called a “gender binary,” because binary means “having two parts” (male and female). Therefore, “non-binary” is one term people use to describe genders that don’t fall into one of these two categories, male or female.

The great thing about accepting people for who they are is that you can just do it, you don’t have to understand all the nuances of who they are and how they identify. You can be a supportive person and ally by just accepting that they know themselves and asking to learn more, respectfully. There’s no one way to be a person.

Seeing a mom adorably accommodate her child’s needs just by modifying an existing term of endearment that is not only funny but adorable as heck is just, well, we need more of that. From everyone, but especially parents.

The best part about “Baby Goat” and their mom? “She says she will be an honorary mom for anyone whose parents don’t accept them.”

This article was originally published on