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Behaviour/development

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Sensitive - what do you call your ds' girlie bits?

227 replies

beegee · 19/09/2006 22:18

This is a tough one - I've a 3 yo ds and i've confidently called his private 'bits' his willie..he's happy with this and always uses the name when needed. No probs there. With girls its harder...i've got a 6 mo ds and, although it's early days, i feel i'm already searching for an equivalent for my daughters girlie 'bits' but struggling i'm afraid!

I'm not a prude. I don't find it difficult to talk about these issues. I just want to avoid the name my mum called mine - wee wee - eeeck! Now I call mine 'my vagina' but this doesn't seem right for a little girl and it always makes me feel a bit...errr...cringey IYKWIM.

When my ds and dd share a bath or when i'm changing my dss nappy, my ds is satisfied that she just 'hasn't got a willie'. But it's started to make me think - what does one name it?!!

I apologise if this offends anyone...not intended. I would love others opinions/experiences.

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hunkermunker · 23/09/2006 00:35

I think what I object to about saying "bottom" is that boys have bottoms too. I want something that's completely female, not just an extra word (front) to describe something boys have too. And not mary, twinkle, oojee or cutsie-woo-woo.

Fucking hell, does this mean I'm a feminist

fussymummy · 23/09/2006 01:05

When younger we were told girls bits were called a Tinkle.

Never did us any harm, calling it this.

It's what my girls now call theirs.

Elibean · 23/09/2006 09:23

If my dd says vulva/vagina it won't be because of any political feelings - it'll be because I can't think what else to call it, never had a cutesy name for it, and don't want to make one up just because the grown-up words make some adults uncomfortable. If she chooses to call it something else, thats fine though - I'm curious to know what her friends will use (she's only 2.9).
And hers is sore right now, so the poor love is probably going to be calling it something or other at the GPs on Monday

beegee · 23/09/2006 11:00

Yes, Elibean but don't you agree there isn't a female equivelent for willie? I personally don't fancy a cutesy name, but that is maybe why people invent a name. That's why i'm thinking about fanjo but i think you're doing really well if you call it vulva/vagina to your dd...i don't have a prob with anyone else doing it...and who knows, i may go the same way too. Just think fanjo is fab...not cutesy but not too adult like vulva/penis.

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fattiemumma · 23/09/2006 11:03

boys have willie's (or for my older brothers they call it a Wanger _don't ask em why as i have no idea)

girls have Minnie's

again, no idea why but thats whay itw as called when i grew up so thast what i use now.

Elibean · 23/09/2006 11:14

Oh yes, I agree there's no female equivalent to willie! If there was, I'd probably have grown up using it. Fanjo is fine, but...no one I know in RL would have a clue what dd was on about, so its not very practical IYSWIM.
That said, if MN works hard at it, and fanjo becomes nationally recognized, I'll say it too

beegee · 23/09/2006 11:17

I'll set up a fanjo fan club - FFC..see where that takes us!!

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beegee · 23/09/2006 11:20

BTW - sorry to hear your dd has a sore one right now..poor love.

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Elibean · 23/09/2006 19:33

Thanks, beejee.

fattiemumma · 23/09/2006 19:37

i usewd the term Fanjo in public recently (during an Ann Summers party) and everyone looked at me as if i was mad...one person asked if it was an instrument!!

beegee · 23/09/2006 20:27

Oh dear!

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Mandaroza · 23/09/2006 20:58

I think we called it front bottom when we were small, my mum called a boy's bits "pee pee", which was annoying to me, as we called doing a wee "pee pee". I think I will probably go for front bottom, or bits.

By the way, I was disgusted by the prudery of one of the widwives (an old one) who ran our aquanatal discussion about pelvic floor exercises. She called it "down below" - Oh my word, I started planning my homebirth then...(in the end had DD in Hosp. but never met The Prude again)

RoxyNotFoxy · 24/09/2006 17:37

For me, words like either "bottom" or "front bottom" are out. Boys have a name for theirs that isn't borrowed from some other part of the body, and girls should have the same. If you're going to say "front bottom", why not "downstairs lips"? Yuk. And "bottom" is even worse. Not only would it cause confusion in your own family, it would cause confusion for your dd at school where she's quite likely to misunderstand what other kids are talking about.

Poncy words like "vagina" and "vulva" and "genitalia" are also out. Well out! You don't want your kids talking like a medical dictionary.

So you're left with made-up words. Personally I don't like words that sound too much like what boys use. "Twinkle" sounds a bit too much like "winkle" which was probably the most popular word for a boy's thing before "willy" took over. In fact, I don't like anything with the "ingle" or "inkle" sound, because it reminds us of something that dangles. When I was at school boys used to say "At what angle does your dingle dangle?" Answer: "It depends on the heat of the meat".

Boys have "dingle" and "dinkle" and "winkle" and "tinkle". I've even heard "chinkle-chankle". I think girls should have something with a different sound. So you're left with a few suggested by posters here "foo foo", "fanjo" (which I love!), "mimi", "woo woo", "flower", "pee-pee" (yuk), "fallulah", "noony", "minkie", "lulu".

The trouble is that mine was called so many different things by my mum that I can't remember any of them. To begin with it was baby names, just noises basically, like "uh-uh", "buh-buh", "ee-ee". Later she used lady names "mabel", "petunia". "lady clementine", and a host of others. And I'm afraid I continued the tradition with dd.

Me, if I had to pick something permanent, I'd go for either "fanjo" or "fallulah" (I was about to say it's a toss up between them, but that's probably inappropriate). Also "zezette" sounds quite classy. The only thing you shouldn't call it is what dh calls mine: "your vertical grin".

beegee · 24/09/2006 19:36

Thanks roxynotfoxy - agreed. Fanjo sounds good and think we'll go with it. Just wish it was more commonly used!

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UrsulatheSeaWitch · 24/09/2006 22:28
UrsulatheSeaWitch · 24/09/2006 22:29

(Sorry, second quote was fattiemumma's yesterday)

Mojomummy · 25/09/2006 19:27

One of my friends cats was called Fanjo...isn't he a racing car driver....or a friend of Herbie, as in Herbie rides again ? (the name of their other cat)

InvisiblePinkUnicorn · 25/09/2006 19:38

This chat is getting too confusing for a foreigner. LOL

moosh · 25/09/2006 20:14

My neices use to call it "flim flam" !!!! Used to crack me up everytime.
My mum called it a "patter"????????????? What!!!!

Elibean · 25/09/2006 20:58

Took dd to the gp this afternoon, because she's had a sore/itchy vulva/fanjo and we had a discussion about what to call it
He said the one he really hated was 'front bottom' because its NOT a bottom...didn't think to try fanjo out on him, maybe I should have...

Mojomummy · 25/09/2006 21:02

but it does look like a bottom...a bottom at the front. It's not like it's being refered to as something completely different..

beegee · 25/09/2006 21:05

LOL at the thought of you having a discussion with the gp about names! Love it! Did he have an idea of what to call it?!!

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Blu · 25/09/2006 21:11

DS calls his testicles his 'stripey peanuts'. It started when he was about 2 and asking what 'this stripey thing is' and was confused about the word 'penis'.
He calls my fanjo my 'furry bottom'

beegee · 25/09/2006 21:14

furry bottom is funny - sounds like it could be a little pet hamster!

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porolli · 26/09/2006 18:31

got 5 yo and 8 mo ds and 3 yr old dd. we are willy and milly in our house! when dd was born, it seemed to make some sort of sense to ds, then aged 2 and a half. however, it's already resulted in hysterical laughter from them when introduced to anybody called Milly, and I have to admit we didn't foresee the popularity of the name!