To ask how you refer to your DD's vulva?

[Lalunya85]

I'm not sure if this has been done a million times before but here's my dilemma:

We speak three languages at home (including English, but it's neither my DH nor my mother tongue). In all of those languages, there are plenty of nice/cute/child appropriate ways to refer to ours son's penis.

Now my DD (15 months) has begun to show an interest in her genitals. But she is pointing at them and then uses the word that we use for our son's penis. I want to offer her a nice name that is neither technical, nor has been sexualised or turned into an insult.

None if our languages offers a solution.

Any ideas??

I'm 47 and I don't think I've ever even SAID vulva! In fact that might be the first time I've even typed it!

Isn't this exactly the problem though? Do you think a man would ever get to 47 without saying the word 'penis'? Why should female genitalia be unmentionable? The reason why I teach my daughter to use anatomical names is because I don't want her growing up thinking that her genitals are so offensive that she isn't allowed to refer to them!

Ffs some people are cunts

I'm 46 and despite many issues in the gynae region, have never had to refer to it as my vulva. In fact I think that's the first time I have ever even typed the word. No doctor or nurse has ever misunderstood when I have been describing any symptoms.

I swear the only time I have ever seen this mentioned is on this site.

I've never heard any mother telling her child to make sure she wipes her vagina or vulva. Ever. I've never heard any child refer to it by those names either.

Fairy

Out of interest, how often do you actually have to call it anything? I thought about this before dd could talk, but I don't think once she could it crossed my mind much. Bottom? "My bottom's itchy" "At the front or at the back?"

I hate "bits" with a passion...........

We actually speak about it quite a bit

"Mummy my Minnie hurts"

"Have you wiped your Minnie Dd"

I've said vulva to a doctor and they stated confused at me. To be fair, English wasn't their native language

If I need to refer to it at all it's "down below" gesticulating with a circular motion

Apart from with my husband then it's my fanny! As in "leave my fanny alone for gods sake!"

I'm with whoever said up thread that in all my 57 years I don't think I have every felt the need to refer to either my vulva or my vagina. Or anyone else's for that matter.

I am sure there are plenty of other body parts that I have failed to mention.

The funniest expression I have ever heard, came from a school friend's mum many years ago. I was having tea at my friends and her mum had just bathed her baby brother. I don't know what was wrong, but the mum announced to DH, that she was concerned about baby's "DICKY WURLO"!!! I hope it wasn't turning into a Curly Wurly.

And fluffypigs - that was so funny!

We say min

My mum always used the word 'doofa'. Which was fine until I joined the armed forces and some one asked me to pass them the doofa for something, can't remember what. I was mortified and very confused. She still calls it that and she's in her 70's!

Bit-bits for girls and winky for boys.

DD is 2 and calls it her 'bits' or 'gina' (as in va-gina) as I don't think a 2 year old really needs to know the correct words yet.

I called mine Mary for years.

I feel that front bottom or fanny might be acceptable colloquialisms for the vagina/vulva but there is no harm in girls also knowing the correct anatomical terms or vagina and vulva. Just like children can know and understand that they have a stomach/tummy.

Personally I can't stand all the twee cutesy euphemisms used by some parents = twinkle, fairy, noo noo, minnie, flower Why does description of female anatomy need to be obscured in this way as if it is something unseemly or embarrassing?

I have two boys and they call their penis their willy and their testicles their nuts [and call both together their 'peanuts' ] in everyday situations. But they know the correct medical terms are penis and testicles and that girls have a vulva and vagina [they are 5 and 7 years old]. They also understand that boys have two holes and girls have three, so that Mummy has an extra hole where they came out of and that she doesn't have a willy/penis or nuts/testicles. No shame or awkwardness about this and they definitely don't go about shouting about their penis or girls' vaginas either.

I'd call it 'bits' but make sure she knew the right words as well. My Mum always said 'front bottom' which even as a child I found cringey.

I'm not sure you can dictate though. With DS(2) we call his penis his willy or his penis interchangeably. But he calls it Billy. As in 'hello, Billy!' every time the nappy comes off.

Snork I laughed out loud at Gentleman's Vegetables!

Gentleman’s vegetables made me snort too. It manages to be both polite and vulgar. Quite an achievement

We've always called it vulva. But it doesn't seem to be a very well-known term, even among adults!

Vulva for outside, vagina for inside. Can't stand twee names like minnie, sorry. We do use privates to cover boy parts as well as girl parts. I think it's a bit sad that some adults don't feel comfortable using the correct words - doesn't send a great message to girls.

When I was little I was convinced my dad had 2 willies I saw him getting dressed one morning and he was getting his skanky old Ys out the drawer. I thought he had one for peeing and one for 'something else' - one of them was his testicles I now know!

Given that the word 'vulva' is no more than a Latin colloquialism for 'wrapper', I'm thinking of calling mine my Va-Jay-Z.

Lady bits /bits here until she was old enough to sort it for herself.She was quite young when she wanted to know what all the bits were.Maybe it's twee but using just vulva or vagina when there's so much more down there also seems odd and evasive.

This is the weirdest thread on MN ever!

It was called 'wee box' by my parents.