What do you call the area down there?

[Miss H]

My DD1 is 3 and we have always referred to the bottom areas as her bum. She noticed my friends twins (boys) when they were having their nappies changed and said they have tails. So I had to correct her and say it is a winky. So she says that boys have a winky and girls have a bum. I read somewhere once that we should just call it what it is so I told her it is a vagina. But I don't know if I am comfortable with her going around calling it that so what do I tell her? What is an acceptable term for a child?

[Liz]

Just use the correct term. Must admit I've found it easier to say penis than vagina. Dunno why?? I do find myself at bath time saying to DD that we need to wash her back bottom, and her front bottom. But I have told DS that his sister doesn't have a penis, she has a vagina.. and of course he killed himself laughing.. he thought it was the funniest thing. So that didn't help my awkwardness! LOL. But yeah.. it's best to just use the correct terms

[Oorki Galoorki]

Vagina and penis are the correct terms for a child.

could you imagine having someone(and many adults stilll use crap words for there body parts) saying um doctor my fifi/micki/winky/peepee hurts.
Teach them the real names and teach them that it is ok to talk about your own body, we do not want our children ashamed of their own bodies.

there is a great book call every one has a bottom.. highly recomend it for you

[Rouge]

*Disclaimer - The following could be confronting to those who have suffered sexual abuse*

You NEED to be comfortable calling it a vagina. Because that is what it is! For her safety it is important that she uses the correct term. A friend of mine did an abuse course as part of becoming a Kinder Teacher and they discussed the importance of using the correct terms. Sexual predators often find power in baby words for sexual genitals, whereas a child who uses the correct terms can often intimidate them ie. "Don't touch my vagina". Also there have been cases where abuse has gone on unnoticed due to alternative language. A little girl who was 3 was being abused by her uncle and she called her vagina a "flower" she said her uncle had broken her flower and no one knew what she meant. Had she used the term vagina any adult would know exactly what she was talking about.

My children use the correct terms, and have done so since they could talk. Child psychologists also recommend this. And the sex ed psych's that have attended my daughters school also talk about using correct terms.

[~breeze~]

Hi, there are quite a few threads I've seen here on BB on this topic.

I taught DD that it was called a "nini" which is what my mum taught me as a child. That was until I read a thread on here that really got me thinking. Someone posted about a friend who had their DD calling hers a "flower" & she told someone that somebody had "broken her flower" & they didnt understand what she meant or how serious it was. From that very moment I taught DD "vagina" for girls & "penis" for boys. DS is being taught vagina & penis aswell... being such a boy he already knows where his "penis" is from the many times he plays with it & I say "yes, thats your penis" (he also knows where noses are, he went through a picking nose phase )

My opinion to anyone who asks me this is to teach them what it is actually called so if they ever need to tell a teacher etc that something hurts etc the teacher will know exactly where they're talking about IYKWIM.

I hope I've been some help

[~breeze~]

Also there have been cases where abuse has gone on unnoticed due to alternative language. A little girl who was 3 was being abused by her uncle and she called her vagina a "flower" she said her uncle had broken her flower and no one knew what she meant. Had she used the term vagina any adult would know exactly what she was talking about.

Aaaahhh thats what I mentioned in my post.... it really hit home for me, as I said, from that moment DD has said "vagina".

[Miss H]

ok, penis and vagina it is then. Thanks for the replies.

[Queen]

We have a Vagiiiiineeeee here and a penisssss all so exaggerated it makes me laugh!

[aussienic]

I say the correct term.. My DD thinks her vagina is her bum.. Like when you ask where body parts are ie arms legs ect when i say wheres your bum she points to her vagina.. All my boys call thier penis's just that.. A penis.. and with DD I say vagina.. Funnily enough I feel uncomfy sometimes but I need to get over it I think lol. It is what it is..

[paradise lost]

We use the correct terms here, and i have a very curious and literal/correct child. A few days ago we were woken with a yell at 6am of "Mama! Mama, my wee is stinging my vulva!" - she'd scratched herself! Goodness knows what the people on the bus think when she begins going on about vagina's, but i don't really mind/care.

Bx

[Rouge]

That is awesome Bx!

[Jas]

I agree it is really important to give them the correct words so they have the language to preotect themselves and to tell adults if anything was to happen. I also thik that is what they are called so why give them another name a nose is a nose and an arm is an arm and we dont have the need to call them different things I think it just lets them know it normal and we all have them. My little brother used to say rude part and I can remember mum saying over and over its a private part its not rude lol

[Tan2705]

Correct terms are most important!

In a case where a female child has been sexually abused and misnames a body part the perp can recieve a lesser conviction or escape conviction eg: vulva is external and vagina is internal! Please teach both terms.. it may seem like TMI for someone so little but there are some sickos in this world and you never know what may happen!!

[2CheekyMonkeys]

and aside from everything else wouldnt she get confused about having two bums? that just doesnt make sense. a friend of mine does this too, she was telling us the other day how her DD said she had a sore bum and so they put cream on it and then it took me about 5 minutes to figure out she was talking about her DDs vagina.

we used to call my DDs vagina a 'mimi' as that what my mum used to call mine. but one day at day care she was telling her teacher that her mimi was sore and they didnt know what she was on about. so from then on vagina it was. and you are right it felt uncomforable for the first few times but it is second nature now.

[tk1999]

We are also using Vagina & Penis... DD is no where near talking yet but we use the correct terms now so that we are comfortable with it (DP is NOT comfortable with talking about DDs vagina but I figure by the time she is talking about it he should be over it )

[Lolli]

I try I'm more uncomfortable with the word penis than vagina, and ds calls his his 'doodle' (thanks, dh ) Working on changing it.

[Astrid]

Correct terms are most important!

In a case where a female child has been sexually abused and misnames a body part the perp can recieve a lesser conviction or escape conviction eg: vulva is external and vagina is internal! Please teach both terms.. it may seem like TMI for someone so little but there are some sickos in this world and you never know what may happen!!

I have to agree with this one. I get all funny about calling the whole female genital area a vagina. If someone says to me that someone touch their vagina, I do think internal, not the external vulva and often get confused.

I do admit though to using fanny as a general term for the whole genital area, but it does not seem to be such a common term these days, so I really should change that.

[Miss H]

I do admit though to using fanny as a general term for the whole genital area, but it does not seem to be such a common term these days, so I really should change that.

Yes, fanny and winky is what we used to call it in our day. Doesn't seem like these terms are used anymore.