Is it wrong for my 8 year old to say she needs a pee instead of a wee?

[feellikeanalien]

AIBU. My 8 year old has had some issues about using the toilet at school and the teachers and teaching assistants have been helping her with this.

She a attends a small rural first school (69 pupils) and is in a composite Year 1/Year 2 class.

The other morning in the playground the headmistress called me aside and said that they were trying to get my DD to ask for a wee instead of a pee.

I was slightly surprised as I did not really see any problem with this and when I spoke to my DD about it she said that they had told her that it was a bit of a rude word.

Generally the school is fantastic and very supportive and I am wondering if I am being a little over sensitive about this.

Any ideas?

We used to have to say "Please may I be excused?". Perhaps try that

My DS says 'wee' but when we're in Italy they say 'pipi' so I'd hope he'd not get told off for what could be - to him - correct usage. That said, I say 'loo' so will probably start using that with him soon before he starts school.

Pee and wee are interchangeable in our house, although DS always says 'wee'.

However, pee is actually P, which is short for piss (obviously), which some people may think is a tad 'crude'. My grandparents certainly didn't approve of it.

'Crystal You could just as well ask, why is sexual intercourse referred to by fucking and not ficking.'

Er, but 'ficking' isn't an actual word. 'Pee' is.

I thought "pee" was short for piss too.

I love the world slash, it always makes me laugh along with backslash and moist. But nothing wrong with pee.

I'd say 'pee' is more American than 'wee' but that's about it. It's certainly no coarser.

Thanks for all the comments and I really laughed out loud at the thought of my DD announcing that she needed a slash!

I don't intend to raise it with my DD again and have told her that some people think certain words are a bit rude while others don't. She seems to think it is quite amusing!

I suppose the fact that they are getting her to start using the school toilet is the main thing but the usual "crap mum" worries kicked in slightly when the headmistress spoke to me.

Usually it is my DD telling me or her dad off if she hears us saying anything that she thinks is a bad word!

Tell her to tell the teachers she's going for a jimmy riddle.

Or to powder her nose.

Crystal

And why did the English language evolve so that 'fucking' is rude and 'ficking' is meaningless syllables?

bio-break

I'm not why you're fixated on 'fucking' and 'ficking' Tara. We're talking about two words that actually are in existence, 'pee' and 'wee'. You saying 'pee' is more coarse than 'wee' doesn't make it so.

I think it's because people perceive pee to be short for piss, whereas wee is a different word.

How about "can I go to the loo/toilet?" and bypass then wee/pee dilemma?

'Tinkle' made me recall hearing 'If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweet and wipe the seat.'

Pee isn't short for piss though. It's a child's word used in many languages usually in the form of pipi or pee pee. American English imported it, probably from the European settlers, and it's the more commonly used word there. Pee is just the US English version of wee - wee/wee wee being the English version.

It's only short for piss if you're saying something like "He's taking the P now". Anything otherwise is a misconception. I agree that the headmistress of a rural primary school in England, especially if she is older, might believe that it is P and not pee, but the word pee in itself which most children today have heard of even if they don't use it, is not rude and is not short for piss.

My 3yo was told bum was a naughty word at nursery. We say pee too!

They think 'wee' is more polite than 'pee'? ?

I agree that for a kid who has some issues around the area, fussing about words that are almost identical is bonkers. But when she's a little older and more settled on this one, try for "I need the loo/toilet" perhaps?

My kids get pulled up on saying, "What?" instead of "Pardon?" when I used to get told off for saying the second instead of the first. I am now teaching them to say, "sorry?" or "Excuse me?" which hopefully won't offend anyone.

Language is weird.

Where is fecking used?

I like fecking, I think I watched too much 'Mrs Brown's Boys'.

Hen I say I like fecking, I mean the word...erm...come to think of it.

Sorry OP but yes, it is a bit vulgar. It's a derivative of piss, and as such, does not sound nice from a child.

Surprised that so many people are happy for their children to speak like this. There's no need when "wee" is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

And why did the English language evolve so that 'fucking' is rude and 'ficking' is meaningless syllables?

For the same reason we say 'sun' and not 'san', I would imagine. Blind linguistic chance. And it's something of a non sequiteur to raise it anyway, because both 'pee' and 'wee' are childish words for urination, with neither rude, and in your examples one is an obscene word for intercourse and the other has no meaning at all.

I just don't understand the relevance of your point.

I think pee is way ruder than wee.

I'm not entirely sure there's any need to mention what's specifically about to happen in the toilet at all really!

Can't she just ask to be excused to go to the ladies'/toilets/loos/ whatever they call them just not restrooms, my personal hate (or bathrooms for that matter, unless there's actually a bath in it!)

I am English but live in Scotland. My DC say pee because to them wee,as already mentioned, means small.

I have honestly never thought about the fact that pee would be short for piss. I think the school is massively overthinking this.

I don't think it's particularly rude, but; an 8 year old doesn't need to be talking about need a pee or a wee when they're at school, surely?
They're quite old enough to say they need the bathroom.