AIBU to be surprised that a boy in my 6 year old DD's class........

[ThoughtsPlease]

told her that her shortened name, which she likes to be called, is only 1 letter away from a name for a girl's bottom! I am not sure exactly what term he used, but my DD said this. She then went on to say that she didn't know what name he meant.

It is true, when you shorten her name this is the case, I have no problem with this, I don't really mind that someone has said this to her obviously I knew at some point someone would, but I am surprised that it was from a peer when she was just 6.

Her name is Francesca, and she likes to be called Frannie.

AIBU to be surprised by this from a 6 year old boy?

[Spikeytree]

When I had to teach year 9 about the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry during WW1 there were gasps and lots of 'Miss, that is so rude!' when I said they were known as the FANY.

[treaclesoda]

well, with regard to genitalia in general (!) my parents would never even have allowed the word willy to be used in our house, growing up. In fact, genitals didn't exist in our house, not even in their medically correct form

As a teenager, I was grounded for weeks because my mum went through my schoolbag and found a note that another girl in my class had put in there, referring to a boy in the class having been 'kicked in the balls'. My parents sat me down and told me they were utterly ashamed that a child of theirs would be so disgusting as to refer to that part of a boy's body at all, and particularly in such a crude way.

I am well aware that my upbringing was probably somewhat abnormal in this respect, so it makes me very concious of trying to make things a bit more 'normal' for my own DC.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

I think it's very important that girls have a name for their genitalia that is friendly and hasn't been hijacked to be offensive. Boys have Willy. Fanny is a good equivalent except that it means arse in America and it seems to be offensive in parts of the UK (facepalm) Medical terms are ok but rather cold. There's nothing playful or affectionate in the word vagina. One of the best things about MN for me is that it finally gave me the word I was looking for - fanjo.

[honeytea]

I had no idea fanny was used as an insult, you learn a new thing everyday! I did grow up in the middle of nowhere and first heard the word cunt at university (I had to ask what it ment, I was very embarrassed) so I am no genital bassed insult specialist ;)

[treaclesoda]

genital based insult specialist

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

Arf @Honeytea

[AgentProvocateur]

Euphemia beat me to it with the link to the Irn Bru advert. It's used in an affectionate way here (west central Scotland) "I'm such a fanny - I forgot my keys", for example.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

Anyway OP, your DD got off lightly. Spare some sympathy for poor Shiloah when they start playing phonological awareness games at his school.

[ComposHat]

"That's yer boab," said one wee lad, all serious-like

My second favourite Scottish slang word for the male member, second only to Podger.

honeytea did you really get to the age of 18 without hearing or even being aware of the word cunt? Where did you grow up? A Merchant Ivory film?

It was considered a term of endearment where I grew up 'How are you, you big daft cunt?' that sort of thing.

[goodasgold]

I always say that I've sat on my big fat fanny and done nothing.

But I love all Fran staring names and can see the difference.

[ThoughtsPlease]

Oh yes I have been known to say 'stop fannying about'.

[honeytea]

It was in the 3rd year that I first heard the word cunt so I would have

[honeytea]

.... Been

[honeytea]

20 (stupid phone!)

[defineme]

I'm don't mean to be rude, but I read the op and then sat here wondering what on earth the name could be that was 1 letter away from c**t?

My dm is 65 and has been known to tell my kids to stop fannying about and get their shoes on. We're originally from the North East and I'm now really hoping that I haven't offended anyone by mistake!

[UniS]

Not surprised at all. 6 year old boys ( and girls and 8/9/10 years too) LIKE bum jokes, fart jokes and rude words, had you not noticed?

[CalamityGin]

he's just being 6, it's all bum wee poo fart willy etc and really he's quite clever isn't he? bet there aren't too many 6 year olds who are that good at removing a letter from a word to make another word.

YABU

[ComposHat]

honeytea 20 that is incedible! Do you mind me asking when/where was this?

I grew up in a mining town in the 80s and it was the building block of most sentences! I vividly remember being on a packed bus and the driver going past an old lady at the bus stop and you could see her mouth 'you cunt' at him.

[ThoughtsPlease]

But that is my point, I wouldn't class the word fanny with bum, wee and poo etc.

As an aside I'm not sure it is all that clever really, if you say both words I am sure most young children with a few years phonics experience could see that.

[AKissIsNotAContract]

I thought a cunt was a baby horse until I was 12, I thought I'd had a sheltered life.

[iamadoozermum]

One of my favourite fanny comedy sketches of all time: . Personally, I was brought up thinking that fanny was very, very rude which might be why this sketch stood out so much for me!

[JackieTheFart]

DH has just shouted down to me 'what you laughing at?'

Roaring at not knowing what name was one letter away from cunt, and cunt being a baby horse

[IsThisAGoodIdea]

TheYamiofYawn, your midwife used the word fanny?

It's really news to me that people use fanny around children. It was definitely a rude term where I grew up.

I'm also with the poster who never heard the word cunt growing up - me neither. I'm from a pretty big northern city too, went to a co-ed comp, wasn't home educated in the Hebrides. How did this word pass me by?