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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

“My chuff hurts!”

160 replies

AwfulMum123 · 16/05/2019 22:47

I already know IABU but I don’t know what to do about it!

For reasons unknown, when my DD was born I started to use the term ‘chuff’ to refer to her front bottom. I guess I just thought it was a slightly funny word. However, now, to my horror (and - I’ll admit - slight amusement) she has started using it herself when talking about that area! “Mummy, my chuff hurts” etc. What do I do about this? A quick google of the word tells me it is considered vulgar slang and I don’t want her using it long term. It’s slightly amusing when a toddler says it but I feel that pretty soon it will start to seem a bit crude.

What word can I use instead? I don’t want to use the biological terms. Is chuff really that bad? Would you judge me/her for using it?!

OP posts:
Quintella · 16/05/2019 23:50

I don't refer to my vulva in day to day life, but I have done when speaking to my doctor. I'm not going to talk to my doctor about my 'fanny', or horror of horrors my 'front bottom' (ugh), or point and whisper 'down there'.

Vulva is just a word.

SoCallMeMaybe · 16/05/2019 23:56

Omg just say bottom it’s not exactly a difficult code to crack.

SoCallMeMaybe · 16/05/2019 23:56

And yes I also have never actually heard anyone say the word vulva in real life.

motherheroic · 16/05/2019 23:56

Yabu for calling it a 'front bottom'.

ItsGoingTibiaK · 17/05/2019 00:04

@SmellMySmellbow

When you say your 'elbow', do you mean your olecranon or your antecubitis? ;-)

Aquamarine1029 · 17/05/2019 00:07

Why is it a problem for a person of any age to use the correct terminology? It's a VAGINA. This refusal to talk to children about their bodies in a factual way does my head in.

Contraceptionismyfriend · 17/05/2019 00:12

The VAGINA is only the internal passage. So yea...

Jedeye · 17/05/2019 00:12

Ha ha yes vulva is definitely a MN thing, like a lot of other stuff Hmm

GlitterGlassEye · 17/05/2019 00:20

Nobody says vulva ffs. My daughter (4) calls her privates ‘wee lady’. Any actual medical term from a small child is weird imo.

Quintella · 17/05/2019 00:21

No weirder than 'wee lady'...

BlackCatSleeping · 17/05/2019 00:29

Why is it hurting though?

There's always one! 😂

I don't think chuff is that bad, but you can start calling it something else and she will probably follow suit.

TrendyNorthLondonTeen · 17/05/2019 00:32

It's no worse than when grown women on MN talk about their "foof"...

SeaToSki · 17/05/2019 00:37

We use privates for areas below the belt in our house, we can go specific if we need to, but on a day to day basis when telling dc that yes they do need to soap properly in the shower, privates covers a lot of ground with just one word.

1forAll74 · 17/05/2019 00:38

Chuff mainly originates from Yorkshire,, but is a slang word for a vagina mainly.

TheFormidableMrsC · 17/05/2019 00:50

In our house it's "mini" and "winkle". My children are 21 and 8. From a young age they both knew what the correct biological terms were but those names stuck and are fine by me. It is only here that children of four are supposed to say "vulva" and "penis" Hmm

As a child, my mother inexplicably gave mine the name "spam". This was all well and good until I started school and we were given spam fritters for lunch and there was NO FECKIN' WAY I was eating those.

BlackCatSleeping · 17/05/2019 04:22

I love hearing all the bonkers things people call their lady parts.

Obviouspretzel · 17/05/2019 06:08

Chuff is terrible, it's how they might refer to it in the Daily Sport. See also: beaver, rat.

Zoflorabore · 17/05/2019 06:11

Chuff sounds horrible, especially from a toddler.

lotusbell · 17/05/2019 06:16

Mine was always my 'chippy'. Wtf?? I got it from my older cousin apparently, but no idea where it came from. Maybe I need to discuss it with her!

BusterGonad · 17/05/2019 06:20

I also have never heard anyone in real life (except in a medical way) call it a vulva.

PeakedTooEarly · 17/05/2019 06:21

Your chuff is your arse around here.

As in, "Get off your chuff and do some work".

Happyandglorious · 17/05/2019 06:24

Mrs C -gets the goldGrin

TroysMammy · 17/05/2019 06:28

I thought chuff was your bum as in "the cat has run in because he doesn't like the wind up his chuff".

My niece calls it a minnie. I used to have a Mary but now I have a foof.

Natsku · 17/05/2019 06:34

I intended to teach DD to call it 'vulva' but I just couldn't, I really struggle with that word. I called it 'bits' to begin with but she decided to call it her 'little bum' instead which is kinda cute really. In regards to the reasons for teaching the children the proper words in case they are abused or something, I'm obviously going to know if she says little bum and to anyone else she might potentially disclose to like the school nurse or her teacher she would use the Finnish slang word that everyone uses (it's what the nurse told me to use when I didn't know how to say vulva in Finnish) which is 'pimppi' (which cracks me up, penis is pippeli) so not worried about her being misunderstood.

Fizzysours · 17/05/2019 06:40

We're a foofoo gang here. I get the arguments for 'vulva' but surely teaching them self respect and the pants rule, and making sure they are largely kept free from one to one time with adults you don't 100% trust, is more important than teaching them vulva? Also everyone learns the right word when an adult (ladygarden OBVS)