The U.S. state of Vermont has advised residents not to refer to their children as son and daughter, but instead opt for gender-neutral words like “child” or “kid” to encourage inclusion among American families.

The Vermont Department of Health in a Facebook post on Wednesday claimed the use of “child” was not only gender-neutral but that it also took cognisance of those who may not be “someone’s legal son or daughter.”

“The language we use matters!” the health department wrote on the social media app. “When talking about family, it’s important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like.”

A flier headlined “Inclusive Language for Families” directed state residents to “use ‘child’ or ‘kid’ instead of ‘daughter’ or ‘son.’”

The department further directed residents to stop referring to their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins as “extended family” and stressed that they be called “family.” 

The flier said the aforementioned relatives “are important parts of a core family unit” implicitly saying relegating them as “extended family” diminished their relationship positions.

“Household members,” according to the Vermont health department, should be ditched in favour of “family members.”

The department contended that the term “household members” was not all-encompassing to include divorcees, incarcerated parents and stepsiblings.

“Not all families live in the same home—think divorced or incarcerated parents and stepsiblings,” the department said.

Already, the post which has over a thousand comments has ignited debates on Facebook. Some commenters derided the Vermont Health Department as concerning itself with frivolous matters.

“Glad to see you focused on the important aspect of healthcare like not calling your son, your son,” Mark Morrison, a Facebook user commented. “You people are insufferable.”

“I will not compromise my common sense for the sake of someone else’s insanity,” Cody Stewart wrote in a comment to the post. ‘‘’This is possibly the most absurd thing I have read that a government has published,” Peter Morrison wrote.

“Wow. The boldness you have to think you can tell parents how to raise their kids is mind blowing,” wrote Tonya Dodd.

However, users such as Victoria Yo and Margaret Luce differed in their opinions. Yo supported the move on the grounds that children who grew up in foster homes may not have people to call them sons or daughters.

“Wow lots of people in here not caring if foster kids feel included,” Yo wrote on Facebook. “Using “child” or “kid” isn’t about gender at all, it’s about family dynamics. I would never refer to one of my foster kids as my son or daughter because they aren’t, they are someone else’s son/daughter, they are my kids.  Please stop with all the fake outrage.”

“Good suggestions,” Ms Luce commended the health department. “There are many different families and using inclusive language promotes conversations and relationships.”