name for private parts

[PavlovtheCat]

I know this has been done to death but I cannot be arsed to go search for old threads.

So. What do your 3 year old girls refer to their parts as?

She calls her 'her girly bits'. Which has up to now been fine. DS is 19wks and we refer to his willy as his willy. So, now girly parts does not seem specific enough, and I find 'vagina' to harsh/clinical at this age to refer to it on an everyday basis, although she does know it is a vagina.

Is there a willy equivalent?

We say lulu. We also use all the words but in day to day life, lulu.

We say penis to mean boys genitalia (the whole package) and vagina for women (the whole package). I've never had a medical person say vulva? Can somebody explain why vagina is incorrect and vulva is preferable please?

We have willies and bits here. DD and DS know the proper terms are penis and vulva but we say willy and bits. Possibly the fact we used to have a volvo has something to do with the fact that I find vulva somehow amusing. I know I shouldn't.

Vulva is the whole lot. Vagina is just the hole where a penis goes in and menstrual blood and babies come out of.

It's willies and front-bums in this house. They chose to call their bits by these names themselves.

With regards to 'proper' names and 'knowledge is power' etc.. - I was brought up to call mines a flower.. And it didn't do me any harm.

Yes, the vulva is the external genital organs, and vagina is the actual vagina. So, the word vagina has become the signifier for female genitalia, but it is incorrectly used, even if hugely so?

Have you heard the word vulva used for female genitalia in the general or medical population? Ie not on MN?

knowledge is power. I don't give her weird names for anything else. We call flying feathered animals 'birds. not flappy loolipuffs.

What happens to the kids who have looloos and minis and muffikins? No idea. I don't want my daughter to feel that her genitals are shameful in any way, and I think giving them a funny name, when no other body part has one implies that there is something funny or a bit off about them.

Likewise I don't want her to have to see a gp someday and have to say 'I'm having a priblem you know down there in my foofy' fgs.

When she is older she can call it whatever she likes.

Vulva is no harder to say than elbow or finger, I don't make up goofy nicknames for those. No one thinks that calling a finger 'finger' is a biology lesson or too anatomical.

I don't personally care what other people do. This is my logic for calling it what it is.

I don't think that men feel that there is an implication in shame of the willy/penis naming, or any difficulty with using the correct words when in a different situation, such as at a doctors. I don't see why women should be any different in this. It's the difference between tummy and stomach to me, rather than birds and flappy loolipuffs.

We grew up calling it our cookie.

Never associated it with biscuits, if that's what you are thinking.

The statement ""Knowledge is power, especially as concerns women/girls and their bodies. " is normally read as follows.

That if women and girls are kept in the dark about their bodies, about sexual function, about sex, about how sex should feel nice and isn't shameful, about how certain areas of their bodies are private, then that leaves them open to sexual predators, to sexual abuse by partners.

I would say that to come onto a light thread about "what shall I call my childs genitals" and basically say that anyone who calls them anything other than a vulva, automatically means that they will withold information about the real names, fail to provide appropriate sex education and so on, thus leaving their children open to abuse, is somewhat harsh.

Your subsequent statement:

"What happens to the kids who have looloos and minis and muffikins? No idea."

"I don't personally care what other people do."

Seems very unpleasant given what you have said. So children with fannies are probably going to be sexually abused, but you don;t care.

Really lovely attitude you have there.

If there is anotehr meaning to the phrase "Knowledge is power, especially as concerns women/girls and their bodies. " I would be interested to hear it, as it is a phrase that is normally used when discussing how to stop things like child marriage, contraception, FGM, sexual abuse and so on.

I am seriously pissed off that you would apply such a statement to all of the mothers on this thread simply because their toddler refers to their genitals as "front bottom" or whatever.

Not stop contraception, obviously, promote it rather.

Chibi did you really mean what you said? I am genuinely really taken aback by your earlier post.

We have front bums in our house, I guess that because that what I called it when I was a child. DD1 has now had some sex education at school and came home telling me about penis's and vaginas, so thats now what we call them. Though I have to say we have reverted back to willy's!

I personally can't stand terms such as flower or twinky but each to their own. DH knew someone who called it Janet!!!!!

Apologies to any Janets out there

My dd calls hers her patty! I have no idea how that came about but it is quite cute. I disagree with all the hooha about calling a vagina a vagina, and using the "proper" word. It really is a fuss about nothing. My dd calls her stomach her tummy, her anus her bottom and her nipples her diddys! Same concept really, and really nothin to get hung up on.

As for children growing up to use childrens words, chibli, what utter nonsense. i don't go to the doctors to talk to him about my tuppence or front bum. Really, some people take things WAY too seriously....

So out of interest, what do you call a boy's penis when 'willy' is off-limits due to unfortunate name crossovers? (DP's name is 'Will', and he has baaad nickname memories)

At the moment we're going with 'winkle', but I'm already finding it too twee.

Then again, maybe we should go with 'penis'. DS (2) is alredy fond of pointing at nipples (his and DP's) and saying 'neebul'. Likewise, I have 'boo-dees'

Still, I must agree that it's harder finding a female equivalent, without getting your child in trouble at school. I can rememeber just how many of the terms got you vicious looks from the lunchtime playground monitors. Saying 'fanny' at school was a big no-no.

I think I used to refer to the whole area as my 'bits'. My brother had 'bits' too, but his were boys' bits and mine were girls' bits. Then again, my parents had two girls then a boy, so perhaps they were just used to 'bits' by then.

Actually, right into his early teens my brother (who does have some SEN) thought his testicles were called kidneys, and when puberty hit used to complain about an ache 'right in his kidneys' while pointing at his crotch. Goodness only knows where he got that one from!

Bits

Up in Bonnie Scotland we have

boab
dick
willy
wee-wee

fanny
vag
cookie

I have a fnd memory of being with my cousin in Asda at the checkout when he was about 3 and telling me he had a sore penis.

There is something a little comical about that somehow.

My DD is 3.8 and has never asked/mentioned it, though if she's having a bit of a rummage I will tell her to stop playing with her bits.

Chibi I disagree totally, just because I have an alternative name for my vulva does not mean i am ashamed, i am actually quite proud of it. Ok what about men that name their penis, are you saying that they are ashamed too . When I go to the doctors i used the anatomically correct term btw. If these alternative words help my toddler to gain some understanding of her vulva than so be it, in time i will tell her the proper terms and if she wants to use alternative words than so be it. I dont think that she will go to the doctor and say 'Dr I have thrush on my froo froo tbh" would be quite embarrassing.

May I suggest the Vagina Monologues.

Chibi have you never referred to your breasts as tits, norks same thing really? Dont go to my GP and say oh my norks are hurting fgs

Where are you getting the idea that I think children will be sexually abused and that I am happy about it? That is v offensive, and I really don't see where you are getting it from.

I made a choice to call my daughter's genitals by their name. You asked me why. I told you I don't see the point in giving it a nickname, but that I don't think anything bad will happen to children who do, and that I am not bothered if that's what others choose.

From this you get that I am ok with raping children?

Seriously WTF?

So men are allowed to name their penis, it means that they are proud of it and well acquainted but if women name their vulva, they are ashamed and embarrassed double standards here.

Each to their own, but mums/dads should not be made to feel bad for using alternative names to describe genitalia, boys or girls. If you prefer to use the anatomically correct version than fine. I dont like the word Vulva tbh does sound like Volvo the other alternative words are more fun

In our house we use front bottom and back bottom which does just fine for now, when she is older she will learn all the names there are out there for various parts of her anatomy and she will make her own choice. I explain things to her in an age appropriate way and as she grows up the language I use will also change.