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Original poster

Is it ok to use 'fanny' to describe girls bits to my toddler?

269 replies

Vindaloo · 22/08/2006 21:11

My DD is 2 and a half months and I was chatting to a friend about what words to use to describe boys and girls bits??

A friend uses 'nunu' for girls. For some bizaare reason I have started to say 'bits and pieces'!! thats sooo wrong, any suggestions or do you just say fanny??

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sorrell · 24/08/2006 20:58

Oh

Blossomhill · 24/08/2006 20:59

We for some reason say nunu.

The thought of any child saying fanny or vulva makes me cringe. Sounds awful IMO

pointydog · 24/08/2006 21:01

If my girls went to school talking about their fannies their social lives would be over. Humiliation (or umiliation as dd2 says) for the whole family, including the cat.

WelshBoris · 24/08/2006 21:02

fuck off franny

Ellaroo · 24/08/2006 21:02

No Harpsichord, I disagree. The technical word for a back bottom would be anus, but I wouldn't say that (nothing to do with it being too dirty to give it it's real name, more to do with it being a bit too clinical and technical for everyday life). I don't think calling it a front bottom is making it unmentionable - surely it is just as much a euphemism as any of the other terms listed on here.

Elibean · 24/08/2006 21:02

Lets face it, we're all going to cringe for one reason or another at some childrens' terminology. Maybe the important thing is that we at least have a clue what they're on about?!

beckybrastraps · 24/08/2006 21:03

Vulva can't be rude, because that's what it's actually called. Same as penis.

Still wondering what we're all referring to here!

pointydog · 24/08/2006 21:04

I think 'front bottom' would only be ok if used for boys and girls. Otherwise it's demoting girls' genitals.

FrannyandZooey · 24/08/2006 21:05

pardon Boris? you are a bit peculiar this week

harpsichordcarrier · 24/08/2006 21:05

actually, I once went out with a Nigel who looked just like that.
god, we had the "where do babies come from/how did the baby get in your tummy?" questions when dd1 was two. she sounded pretty sceptical about my explanations tbh.
yes, I agree it is important that girls know the difference between - i.e. - their vagina, their urethra and their vulva. and - at this age - the vulva is it, really.

WideWebWitch · 24/08/2006 21:05

I haven't read this thread, not at ALL except the first post but, god, god, do we all need to go and see The Vagina Monologues or what? Bloody hell, we have sex with them, we pee from them, we give birth from them and we STILL haven't got a totally acceptable word for the vagina? I think it's all a bit, well, strange really. We use the most excellent 'fanjo' in our house now I have a girl but, god, I wish, really, we could all call it a vagina and be done with it.

WideWebWitch · 24/08/2006 21:06

sorry, will read it now!

Blandmum · 24/08/2006 21:07

wwwierdo!

I'm with you on this one. And I call an anus an anus!

harpsichordcarrier · 24/08/2006 21:08

exactly, pointydog.
no, I think "bottom" refers to the whole back part - buttocks, etc. and it isn't really a euphemism like fairy or mini or canary.
I honestly, truly, cannot see what is rude about a child saying vulva. it's not a swear word, it's not vulgar.

beckybrastraps · 24/08/2006 21:09

I wonder whether we focus too much on the genitalia aspect. My son knows that he wees through his penis. He has no idea that it is multifunctional. He knows his sister wees through a hole in her bottom. He knows that women have another hole that babies come out of. He knows that we all have a hole at the back for poo. He hasn't asked yet about the role of his scrotum. He does know about sperm and eggs, but doesn't seem to mind where they come from, or how they get together. For young children, bottoms are about wees and poos surely? We are the ones hung up on the sex functions.

Peridot30 · 24/08/2006 21:09

what a laugh i've had reading all the different names we use ds who is 4 uses 'man' and dd who's 2 uses 'flower'.

pointydog · 24/08/2006 21:10

Whoa! I don't think anyone said canary.

beckybrastraps · 24/08/2006 21:10

Oh, and he does call the poo hole an anus. Of course he does. It's what it's called!

Blandmum · 24/08/2006 21:10

And can I just say I can't stand 'bum hole' or 'bell end'. Crops up while teaching reproduction and digestion. Bum hole, my arse!

harpsichordcarrier · 24/08/2006 21:10

YEEEEEEES becky, exactly so.
these are our hangups. let's hang onto them, eh?
i am suddenly, forcibly, reminded of Philip Larkin.

sorrell · 24/08/2006 21:10

I explained to my ds who is five that when he was a big man, sperm would come out of his willy and go into his wife (sorry) and could make a baby and he would be a daddy. And he thought for a bit and then said, 'Well, that sounds like fun'!

Blandmum · 24/08/2006 21:12

Factiod of the day. Did you know that the scrotum is wrinkled to increase the surface area and help to keep the boys testicles nice and cool?

I use that when explaining the effect of surface area on cooling with the kids at GCSE. Do you know, they never forget it

harpsichordcarrier · 24/08/2006 21:12

sorrell, I hope you said yes it is...

hovely · 24/08/2006 21:13

If anyone is still wondering about that line down the middle, it is the
perineal raphe

couldn't rest till I checked that one

pointydog · 24/08/2006 21:13

bbs, I don't think it is to do with the sex functions though. I wanted my kids to be able to tell me quite specifically if they ever had any pain, itch, spots, whatever on their fanny rather than talking about bottoms all the time. I wanted to be able to say 'wipe your pum pum', 'dry your pum pum' etc without scrabbling around for a word for it.