to have taught 2yo DD to say vagina?

[Maebe]

Because some of the others mums think I am

I don't like all the other names that are bandied around. If there was a 'softer' word, like the equivalent for willy, I would use that but there only seems to be words like daisy or minnie that don't actually indicate what you're talking about.

I know the 'what do you call it' question gets asked a lot, but AIBU to say vagina? Other mums think it is very weird/rude that DD now says "'gina"...

By calling it a vagina you're putting undue emphasis on the part of the body used in sex / reproduction. Why s vagina more suitable a word than labia / clitoris or any of the other bits that make up that area

If you want to be all open and free and easy and demistify female genatalia then don't focus on the bit used for shagging because by doing so you are emphasizing that function above all others

I think it's important for children to know the correct words for their body parts so they can explain if they have a pain there. She's only 2, gina will evolve into her being able to say vagina and then vulva. Fanny was a rude word when I was at school. I used to call it my 'front bottom'.

Yes, fanny is the same as dick to me, quite a vulgar or rude word. I don't imagine many people are teaching ther 2yo son to say dick. But I'll check with DP to see if he thinks it's rude too, he might think it's a fine word to use.

Michael, I don't think it's emphasizing sex At the moment it's just the most pronouncable of the various choices of more anatomically correct words available. As I said before, my DD wouldn't be able to say vulva at all.

YANBU, vagina is good, you can go into anatomical details later.Vagina covers it, vulva is too limiting/specific.We shouldnt teach girls that its something that needs a 'special' name but to be matter of fact.Nick names reflect societies ambivalence to womens bodies.

Natwebb, how do they point to it - it's inside? If they point to their chest do you say lung? If a little girl gets a urinary infection, it is not their vagina that stings is it? If you want to be anatomically correct then be anatomically correct, not approximately correct.

Nearly 3 year old dd uses the words vagina and privates (although vagina sounds more like china). 5 year

the only reason i dislike vagina is because it sounds so clinical and i imagine it was made up by men.

Oops posted too soon.

5 year old ds uses penis, willy and privates. They are words. That's all. But I much prefer children to use such words because it is not a flower, clowns purse, noo noo, fiffy, tail, dinkle, twinkle, or any other word that IMO are used because adults are uncomfortable with penis, testicles, vulva and vagina. Or uncomfortable with children using such terms. Nonsense.

My dc also say breast rather than boob etc.

I've always used vagina, and when she gets to the stage when she's interested in more detail, we can cover vulva, clitoris (that bit beginning with L which I can't remember or spell right now and don't want to Google at work...) etc. At the moment, 'vagina' covers all of these.

Certainly I don't consider it a wrong or offensive word.

I understand what you mean middleclass but using different names doesn't mean you are repressed.
I happily told my older children the baby would be pushed out of my vagina but equally didn't keep correcting them when they talked about the baby in my tummy rather than my womb.

I totally agree about the skewed perceptions people have around talking to children about sex. I can't see it getting any better sadly either.

Vagina covers it, vulva is too limiting/specific

Well thats wrong for a start.

Vagina internal tube that baby comes out of.(so one specific structure)

vulva has many major and minor anatomical structures, including the labia majora, mons pubis, labia minora, clitoris, bulb of vestibule, vulval vestibule, greater and lesser vestibular glands, and the opening of the vagina.

So vulva is anatomically correct and encompasses all the external parts that a young child is likely to be awarevof /asking about. Not limiting and specific FFS

Reading further, I think some need an anatomy lesson...

Isn't fanny the equivalent of willy?

kids ask where babies come out - the aswer is the vagina. I cba to say "well, the inside is the vagina and the outside is the vulva". One work covers all.

Similarly when teaching body parts, dd will point to her lips (the outer part) but does she mean lips or does she mean mouth? Id say mouth. That covers all.

When she points at her eyes id say eyes, even if she has them shut and is technically pointing at her eyelids. Eye works fine.

Front bottom is disgusting IME

Also, if a toddler were to ask where his poo comes out - would you say bum? more than likely! Yet accordibg to the vuvla/vagina rule the answer should be anus yes?

My mum was telling me about a piece she heard on the radio one day. They were discussing this issue and people had rung in to explain what their children say and why.

One man rung in saying his daughter came up to him one day calling her 'bits' her FAT CHINA as that's what mummy calls it.

I thought it was hilarious.

I use vagina with my dds. Why not?

Its better than cocking 'minnie' which is what most of my friends use. Twee and stupid.

I think the issue is that unlike anyother body part there isn't any child friendly slang word for female external genitalia. So the choices are either random (foofoo) inappropriate (fanny) or anatomically correct (vulva).

I'm sure it must be a feminist issue that there is no female version if "willy"

Vagina was made up by men? What now?

My DDs say Minnie but I'm inclined to agree with you Orange

we always used girl bits and boy bits - no double meanings for teachers, but not "anatomically correct" I guess... but don't see what's wrong with it..

calling it your vagina is a bit specific if you just mean the general vulva area... (your girl bits) I would be a bit worried if a child said their vagina hurt, as it does suggest internal pain... whereas their girl bits hurt if they pull their knickers up too tight, don't wipe properly etc..

Exactly, ItsAllGoing - I'm not getting on my moral high horse about willy, just that there is no similar term for female genitalia.

Good point about about bums, mouths/lips etc. Which makes the point that for most body parts, people pick one anatomical term to apply to to a range of body parts as the child's age requires. So at 2, you'd say eyes for everything, then when they are older you can talk about eyelids, irises and the like.

So it's getting very pedantic to pick between vagina, vulva and labia. I don't have a DS but I don't know at what point parents start differentiating clearly between penises and testicles. The general point is more that a lot of people are shocked when vagina, vulva or labia are used to describe female genitals.

I know what you are saying, MadeOfStarDust, but I think until you know that your daughter understands the difference between vagina and vulva then there wouldn't be a need to be worried about whether her actual vagina hurt.

Front and back bottom here for my DDs. A baby comes out of the bigger hole in the front bottom - its called a vagina...etc
DP HAS to have a willy otherwise (to the tune of the popular song) ... 'We are famillleeee, Dad's the only one with a willy'
just wouldn't work...!
(written down it doesn't seem to 'work' anyway but they have great fun singing it...)

It's a 'fanny' and 'willy' in our household, although it gets confusing as my DH also calls me 'fanny' as my nickname. DD named hers 'botbot' when she was little and the name stuck as it made sense to her and we understood what part of her body she was talking about. We also informed her nursery so they knew too.

I think as long as they call it something that they understand it doesn't really matter what the word is and as they grow up they will learn that there are proper anatomical names for different body parts that aren't necessarily used in everyday life.