What does “ma puce” mean in French?

Une puce is a flea. Ma puce is one of the warmest things a French parent can call a child. The insect is not the point — the smallness is: something tiny you want to keep safe. It is used above all for children, and commonly between partners too. Said in the right tone it registers as pure tenderness, and nobody hears an animal in it at all.

French endearments lean heavily on small creatures and food: mon chou, mon lapin, mon poussin, mon cœur. Ma pupuce doubles the same word up for extra softness, usually with very young children.