Susan Tarnowski, age 12, of Hibbing, Minnesota, for her question:

Why do people call children "kids"?

Andy himself prefers to reserve the word "kid" for a baby goat, to whom it right¬fully belongs. Many adults, however, refer to human children as kids and think nothing of it. The children themselves may feel somewhat insulted but Andy has lived long enough to see some of them grow up and refer to their own children as kids. If you feel insulted when someone calls you a kid, about the only thing you can do is to prom¬ise yourself that you will do better when your turn comes around.

There is another small ray of hope in the story. A kid, a real one, is a cute young animal. It is frisky and full of fun and pretty as a picture. And he is mischievous in such a charming manner that everyone smiles at his naughty pranks. He is loved by both adults and children. Maybe the little charmer reminds some parents of their own children. It could be that this is how the word became misplaced. In any case, it would be far more insulting to borrow the name of one of the cute kid's parents. If someone called you a goat you would have every right to feel offended in a big way.