'Mon chou' et 'Ma puce'!

What do a cabbage and a flea have in common? Well, believe it or not, both of these words are commonly used by the French as terms of affection for children: 'Viens ici, ma puce', 'C'est l'heure de manger, mon chou'!

Other terms of affection are (ne vous moquez pas, s'il vous plait!): ma choupinette, mon coeur, mon trésor, mon roudoudou, mon chaton, mon lapin and many more.

As for the children they like to call their parents 'maman et papa' as well as 'mamounette et papounet'.