What word do your children use for female genitals?

[frannyf]

Apologies if this has been asked before, but this is becoming an urgent issue in our household. Ds is 2.5 and has just started asking "Where is your willy, Mummy?" I told him women and girls don't have willies...and then froze.

I don't want him to think that girls just have an empty area where a willy should be, I want him to realise we have our own special bits, but I cannot settle on a word I feel comfortable with.

"Vagina" is so medical. "Flower" and all those sort of words seem too cutesie. I feel "fanny" is the right equivalent to "willy", and did try it, but I just cringed saying it to ds and felt even worse when he repeated it. I obviously did not sound convincing anyway as he has reverted to calling it a bottom. Help! Sorry if I have rejected your family's choice of name by the way, I don't think any of them are wrong or anything, just don't feel right saying them myself. Am I hopelessly uptight?

I was rather surprised to see that nobody has come up with vulva(especially spidermama). There again, if you don't call a penis a penis...

Fanny means bum in Canada so that didn't seem like an option and I don't find genital 'cute'.

harpsichordcarrier and me both said vulva!

Bits applies to all genitals.

geniltalS even.

Sorry starlover and hc. I didn't see the first post and it took me ages to hit post on mine (DS2 is having a melt-down) so yours wasn't there yet starlover...

Minky! cute!

that's ok
there need to be more vulva-lovers in this world! lol

NOONIE

ds calls her dummy that, Gingerbear!

Hmm, DH and I were discussing this as our boys often remark that Mummy doesn't have a willy (DS2, declaring that I should buy one), neither of them so far have asked what I have instead. I think "Fanny" sounds a bit rude (perhaps this depends on the area of the country you were brought up), we discussed saying "vagina" but DH brought up the argument that a "vagina" is not actually what you are seeing, he doesn't want his DSs calling it a "vulva", I said that on MN it was often called a "mini", he's not keen on that so I think that leaves us with "front bottom" or "bits".

oops, i meant dd!

Noonie is the best word ever for a female's bits.

Even DH agrees

noonie here too!!!

what's wrong with vulva?

my friend had great problems when she got a red mini to drive (her first car)... comments from girls she cared for included "is it sore?"

why on earth does it need to have a silly name?

MrsSpoon - lol - my ds suggested we buy a willy for me from Ikea!
I love, love, love minge - it's so Kenneth Wiliams, but we go with fanny.

Wow. Thanks all for replies. I do agree intellectually with those who say fanny, it does seem like the right word to use and I agree that to use something cute or vague is maybe not doing it justice. I just balked when it came to actually saying it, and felt really uncomfortable when ds said it too.

I am sure earlier posters are right and it is to do with society's disapproval of female bits (and I have not even had any wine). They are generally seen as rude and shameful while boys' are funny and harmless. I forgot to say earlier, MIL calls them the unmentionables which has got to be the most messed up thinking I have ever heard!! Even dp thinks she has got a major problem saying that. I think also I have heard fanny used in a sexual way too many times perhaps? Whereas nobody says "Hey there stud, nice willy!"

I am stumped. I want to be bold and not care but I feel too hung up. My latest idea while I was putting ds to bed was to let him come up with his own name. However, as someone said earlier it is probably more helpful if these words are not just understood within the family, as a little girl might need to tell her teacher about a problem or something.

I find this rather perplexing? Are their cute names for other body parts? Why do we pass on these hangs-ups to our children?

on the topic of minge which I've only been educated in rather vaguely wht is this about?

\link{http://www.brampton-bugle.co.uk/buboo/minge-fettling.html Minge fettling}

By anniebear on Friday, 9 September, 2005 8:18:15 PM

Those who never called it anything, what did you tel your DD to wipe when she started going on the toilet?!!

Nothing. just wipe yourself. Anyway, you aren't wiping your vagina when you wipe yourself after a wee. You are wiping your......oh bum, I don't know.

BTW just heard labia pronounced in a way that makes me feel I have been pronouncing it wrong all my life (in my head obviously,I don't go around saying the word out loud to all and sundry.) Is is labia as in labour or labia as in labrador?

Answers quickly please!

or even Minge Fettling

We just say girls parts and boys parts.

I vote labrador

I say labia as in labour...

I wish I found it perplexing. I think I did till I actually found myself in the situation. I thought I was going to be all cool and progressive and tell it like it is. Very disappointed in myself to be honest