I've heard it too. I even stopped using kid to refer to children for quite some time. I get the reasoning, but language changes and it doesn't carry quite the disrespect it did years ago. I have since started to use it on occasion, but it still feels awkward at times. My go to word is kiddos. It feels, I don't know, maybe more affectionate.
But yeah, you seem to be attracting some 'interesting' people while out in public.
