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Original poster

What should I call my vagina?!

97 replies

RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 16:37

Apologies for the straight-to-the-point headline, but i need some advice on this...

Yesterday evening, while taking a bath with my 2.4yo DS, we were playing a body parts game, where I ask him what certain parts of the body are called... eg. I point to his nose, ask him what it is, he tells me, then I ask him to show me where mummy's nose is, etc.

Off his own back, he pointed to his penis and exclaimed "my willy!". I praised him for knowing what it was. But then he pointed to my 'lady parts' and said "mummy's willy!" I proceeded to correct him with "no mummy is a girl, girls don't have willies, girls have..." and then I was totally stumped. I didn't know what to tell him!

Vagina/vulva is far too technical & blunt - he doesn't need to know it's correct anatomical term just yet - but all other euphemisms are vulgar. As children my sister and I were told it was our "front bottom" which now makes me want to die knowing we went around calling it that! Blush And I remember my friend at school calling it her "tuppence" which makes me want to gag, bleurgh!

What do you call it for the sake of your infants innocence?
(He's my first child and I really don't want to scar him for life!)

OP posts:
CallMeNancy · 26/03/2015 16:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FernGullysWoollyPully · 26/03/2015 16:41

I've heard it called loads of things.

Mary
Flower
Fuff
Foo

Our girls say front bum and back bum. They didn't get it from me. I think it was during bath time one day, DH doing the bathing and the older one asked. That must be what he told them and it stuck.

mrsmacguffin · 26/03/2015 16:41

Ladies!

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General parenting
SantasFavouriteHo · 26/03/2015 16:43

I have 2 DSs and have gone for "gina" (said like the end of 'vagina') since they don't have one i didn't think we had ti be over technical yet (not like they'll need different names to tell me if something hurts etc) so they only know it in terms of 'girls have one and its where babies come from'
They're 4 and nearly 2

Gamache · 26/03/2015 16:44

We've just always used vagina and vulva. I hate all the euphemisms. There is nothing inherently wrong with using the correct names for body parts!

Hobby2014 · 26/03/2015 16:44

It was wanny when I was young Blush

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 26/03/2015 16:45

We've just always used vagina and vulva. I hate all the euphemisms. There is nothing inherently wrong with using the correct names for body parts!

This ^

DuelingFanjo · 26/03/2015 16:50

I would and do use vagina - should be Vulva but who says that really.

Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 16:53

There is nothing inherently wrong with using the correct names for body parts!

I was fully expecting this... I know it's not wrong, of course it isn't, but I have never known children under sex-education age actually call their genitals by their proper names... I think the majority of us as kids had a euphemism for that part of the body, and we do the same with our own children.

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 26/03/2015 16:54

Doesnt naming body parts start in the very early years of school anyway, so not long away really...

FaFoutis · 26/03/2015 16:56

it is a twinkle.

Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 16:57

SantasFavouriteHo - I quite like "gina" actually. Not so technical but still close to it's real name

OP posts:
amothersplaceisinthewrong · 26/03/2015 16:59

BIts

Besmonetha · 26/03/2015 17:02

Fairy is a favourite of mine just for the permeations. Foof is the most used in the house.

Worst one I heard was red dwarf.

tormentil · 26/03/2015 17:04

lady bits

Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 17:05

I'd rather not use "bits" as its quite general. I tend to use that when speaking to my elderly relatives as they hate the proper names for that area of the anatomy (my nan still can't say "period" and refers to it as a "monthly" Grin).

"Bits" could be for either a boy or girl, but I want to teach him there is a difference between boys and girls, without being too over-technical at his age (sorry to those who think I'm wrong for this!)

OP posts:
YoSaffBridge · 26/03/2015 17:09

Vagina. Yes, vulva is technically correct but have you ever heard a 2yo try and say "vulva"? It's vagina/gina with our toddler. As she gets older I'll explain what the different bits are.

Though when referring to the whole area generally I'll just call it a bottom and the specific area only comes up when they ask (mine did too) or when they say something hurts and I'm trying to narrow down the specific area.

Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 17:10

Besmonetha Worst one I heard was red dwarf

How crude! What an unfortunate cooincidence my username is! I swear it was not based on this... I swear!!!

OP posts:
Piratespoo · 26/03/2015 17:15

How often is this topic mentioned? Why are certain body parts taboo...cos you make them taboo! Do you have a pet name for his elbow and his knee? What is wrong with the correct name for vulva? It isn't a rude word you know!

harryhausen · 26/03/2015 17:21

My dd10 knows all the correct names because she asked when she was about 6 - but when she was a new born my dh lightheartedly called it a noo-noo and the banner just stuck in our family! I'm not proud of it and we're not at all prudish, it just stayed as noo-noo.

Dd is pretty clued up on anatomy as we watch Call the Midwife together! Grin

harryhausen · 26/03/2015 17:22

Banner? *name

AuntieStella · 26/03/2015 17:29

"Do you have a pet name for his elbow and his knee? What is wrong with the correct name for vulva? It isn't a rude word you know!"

But you might have a tummy and a bum or a heiney, maybe boobs or breasts sometimes instead of mammary glands. A kneecap rather than a patella, maybe or a broken collar bone rather than a fractured scapula (ouch). There a loads of body parts which have more than one name, and zero reason to exclude female genitalia from this.

Unfortunately, there is no universal nickname for day to day use which parallels willy. In use at the moment are bits and undercarriage, but that won't help OP as they're unisex.

flibbylake · 26/03/2015 17:38

We use vulva where appropriate and vagina where appropriate. Not because I'm on a mission but because it honestly never occurred to me to use any other words. The word 'willy' is only used for comedic purposes in this house.

Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 17:39

Piratespoo How often is this topic mentioned? Why are certain body parts taboo...cos you make them taboo! Do you have a pet name for his elbow and his knee? What is wrong with the correct name for vulva? It isn't a rude word you know!

I never suggested it was rude, wrong or taboo. We are open about our bodies to our son and allow him to learn and explore both his and ours. We have no intentions of making him think the body is a taboo.

But a lot of us DO use euphemisms for body parts/functions. Just like we have all said "boobies" to our children instead of "breasts" or "toosy-pegs" for teeth, "wee-wee" instead of "urine", "poo" instead of "faeces", "trump" instead of "flatulence" ...I'm sure your children use most of these less-than-technical terms if you're entirely honest?

The real names are not rude or wrong, but we don't have to be absolutely technical about absolutely everything we have, or do. My son WILL learn their real names in time, just like you and I did. And as he gets older I will explain on more technical terms. But at the moment he is 2 and I don't think we need to be that in depth

OP posts:
Original poster
RedDwarfPosse · 26/03/2015 17:41

AuntieStella thank you! my point exactly

OP posts:
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