Today a politician, speaking about the Sandy Hook shooting, said she was concerned about the "children and kids.' I thought the two were essentially the same but I wondered if I had missed some distinction based on age. Are "children" and "kids" two separate entities? Or was she just using the terms as filler for her remarks?

I always consider children to be the same age as kids. In looking them up, the AHD says a child is between birth and puberty. I hadn't thought of it as quite that precise. A kid is less precise in definition. I think most consider a kid to be older.

[Edited for clarity]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

Gerorge Carlin said most educators think every child is "special." Does that mean being a "kid" is when they begin to lose their specialness on the way to losing it as adults?