To just call a fanny a fanny?

[teafortoads]

Apologies if this has been done before/to death but i am new to this Mumsnet Lark (posting not lurking, I have happily lurked for years). What on earth word do you give to your toddler to describe their girl parts? I have and always will, have a fanny, where as I am aware of friends who have foofs, fairies (could cause some confusion when you go to put the fairy on top of the Christmas tree) lady gardens vulvas and so on. I see no reason to pretty things up, and always arrive back at good old trusty fanny in the end having massively overthunk things. When DD2 is a little bit older I will furnish her with all the proper words, but are fanny and willie (not that she will encounter any of THOSE until she is at least 40 given that I am a single Mum and our house is happily a man free zone nowadays, and boyfriends will not be permitted until she is at least 40) acceptable? Is fanny a bit coarse?

Fanny is used as an insult in Scotland. My mum used to call our girly bits 'flower' and my brothers 'winkle'

Not where I'm from Dylan .

It's like when people are appalled by 'fart' but think 'parp' is perfectly acceptable.

For some reason Mary is used in this house, it causes much sniggering of we meet an actual Mary

I say parp because I think it's funny.. wouldn't like the kids saying fart its just a bit grown up

But why? What's so different between parp and fart? They're practically the same sound!

Why the hell are people teaching children vagina?? It makes no sense - vagina is the sex and baby birthing hole!!! Therefore it seems very, very, very wrong to me to tell them to use the anatomical name for a sexual part of their private region rather than an anatomically correct name for the external area (vulva), which they would actually be referring to.

Yeah probably!

Cbigs, sorry but it is a well known abusive term for a South East Asian due to the perceived similarity in eye shape to a vulva.

I think fanny is pretty mild. Much milder than pussy, which always seems to me to be really really rude. DH uses the word "vulve" and is very eye-rolly about twee words for those parts. We have sons, so not much call for any naming of lady bits in our house.

should I change my name, so as not to cause offence at my vulgarity?

Cunty eyes can't believe anyone uses that term still!

Icky- a 7yr old should be told what a 'female penis' is if he asks, why would your dh object?

Fair enough it's milder than pussy but still really only used to offend in Scotland. Saying fannying around is OK. Parp is a highly amusing word I only heard later in life, fart is what I'd say talking to adults.

Fascinating.

Fanny is considered mild where I come from. Quite sweet really. As in 'fannying around' too. It's certainly not considered course.

Pussy is something men seem to say more and I associate it with porn and far ruder than fanny.

My gran used to call it your 'halfpenny' as in 'keep your hand on your halfpenny' when going on a date. Quite accurate when you really think about it.

Hairy Mary was another term used as a joke.

I think my family just alluded to 'private parts' and 'down below' for both sexes although my mum now seems to enjoy saying penis. But she's very old.

Long time since I grew up in Glasgow but I always understood the shouted "fanny" as a softer version of cunt, as in it wouldn't get you arrested for importuning young ladies to display it. So 30-35 years ago, fanny was definitely not that rude.

I agree that if boys have willies, shouldn't girls have something equivalent? And something that everyone agrees is specific and ok, instead of the tuppence/flower/meeshmo smaller group family or cultural names? I would vote for fanny, but would take into consideration min or others as long as they aren't precious or shameful.

I don't think I or anyone I knew ever actually referred to it at all as a child, but that was back in the dark ages. Call me repressed but I still find fanny, minge & even direct anatomical labels really vulgar. (A five year old talking about her 'vulva'? Really? Puh-lease.) For girls, I reckon "noonoo" -- affectionate & clearly not anything else - and for boys, "peeper" seems sort of inoffensive.

Going of the point a bit but I sad that the housing situation is so bleak for the future we now expect our kids will live with us till their 40s.

Why change the name of your body parts I tell my kids 3 and 5 that she has a vagina and he has a penis. I worry if you change the name to something different they will think it's rude and won't let me know if they have issues in the future, we don't have "pet" names for our other body parts why should we change them.

PS. Can't actually believe I have an opinion on this!

People have pet names for lots of body parts Danielsmammy

Tummy
Belly
Boobs
Bum

It was always "front bum" and "back bum" in our house !

FannyFanakapan, it's a long time since I heard that name, where did you get it from?

Amazed that fanny is rude to some.
In the States it just means your bottom, as in cheeks. 'A pat on the fanny' is nothing to be worried about.
To me, half Eng, half Am, it just sounds like a gently amusing word for your girl bits. Or a character in a Jane Austen.