A huge cultural difference between the US and Germany is the use of the word mouse. I can't speak for the entire country, but I believe in the US we view mice as rodents that should be dead. In Germany, mouse is a sweet term of endearment for a small child. I've also heard men call their wife/girlfriend a mouse. Since Ella's birth all I have heard is, "Hallo kleine Maus!" (Hi little mouse) I find it weird. It is a cultural difference so I accept it, but I refuse to call my beautiful baby girl a rodent. I use traditional US English words of endearment such as pumpkin, cupcake, muffin, little one, sweety,etc. Ella even has little mouse slippers that everyone says, "Oh how sweet!"
