How do you refer to genitals?

**beckoes** · January 12th, 2009, 07:07 AM

I found this tread interesting, DD is only 5 months so we havent had to think about it yet and to be honest it hadnt really entered my mind what we would teach her, i was tought to call it 'Mary' when i was little. DH's family call it Moo Moo. Not sure where either one comes from! lol

Made me think about it though and will certainly consider a better name for DD to learn....although Vagina is abit much for me i think. A friend uses Ginie (like jia-nee).

**Liviam** · January 12th, 2009, 07:13 AM

It's vagina here too. Well it will be when I can get DH to use it. A bit of a prude sometimes my DH is.

**Catastrophic** · January 12th, 2009, 09:10 AM

it's Vagina here too. And doodle or penis for the boys...

**Mumma2three** · January 12th, 2009, 09:22 AM

Absolutely the proper names have worked for us. I dont' want my kids to have trouble coming to me about "girly" problems. I want them confident in their body and able to tell me straight up where and what the prob may be. (I had thrush at 16 and it took me days to tell my mum by which point I was in intense pain, and I didn't really knkow what to refer to it as. )
DD1 had a sex ed class last year and was one of the only kids not laughing and embarrassed when they mentioned "vagina, penis" etc. I was really impressed. DD2 calls it Gina only because that's how she pronounces it at this point.
xo

**minimatron** · January 12th, 2009, 09:38 AM

We call it ginie pronounced ghi-knee! its her shortened version of vagina. She calls her dads a willy, but we will get around to calling it a penis.... i agree with calling it what it is, its not words you should be embarressed to say out loud....which i was when i was young...dont know why, suppose we werent that open in ytalking about our anatomy.

**Charlyfrog** · January 12th, 2009, 09:38 AM

DD#1 says "girl parts" but we had an incident yesterday that made DH & I consider that she is probably ready to start using the proper words. I used 'girl parts' first as I felt that while there is a proper word, there was no connection between 'vagina' and the area....does that make sense? For her, 'vagina' was just a word and she is the type of little one that has always been too logical for her own good. "Why is it called a vagina mummy?" would've most probably been the question, lol. Now that she is older and can understand a more indepth conversation, I am more than happy to take her there. Well that's just how we've done it anyway

**Karina** · January 12th, 2009, 09:45 AM

We call it vagina or private parts. I'm not really a fan on making up a word for it and I'd prefer her to know the proper word (even though vagina isnt REALLY technically the right word, its closer than a made up word is)

**Nai** · January 12th, 2009, 09:50 AM

We call it vagina - but DD still says 'gina as I think Vagina is a bit hard to pronounce.

**visitor1** · January 12th, 2009, 10:01 AM

We use vagina and doodle

**Curly** · February 9th, 2009, 07:15 PM

Inspired by another thread...

I never knew what a penis was until I was 9 years old, despite having a brother, because my Mum always referred to it as a "whistle". I certainly had no idea I had a vagina, it was all just "bottom".

I was so horribly embarrassed that I didn't know what a penis was I think I vowed then and there (at the age of 9!) that when I had kids they would know the proper words for things so that they wouldn't feel foolish the way I did.

So DS knows it as a penis, although it does sometimes get referred to as willy, and I'm also teaching him "testicles" even though he can't say it!

And when he wanted to know why DD didn't have a penis I tried to teach him "vagina". He couldn't quite say that and then I thought "well, that's not actually anatomically correct" so I tried "vulva" and he just thought that word was just hilarious and is always pointing and saying "vulva" whenever I change her nappy! But he pointed at me in the bathroom the other day and said "gina" so I guess he picked it up.

I also feel quite strongly that "penis" and "vagina" should not be words that anyone should be embarrassed to say...but when I mentioned this at my mother's group they all seemed to think "penis" was a bit too grown up a word.

We also use the general terms "bum" and "bottom".

What do you say in your house?

**BellyBelly** · February 9th, 2009, 07:19 PM

There are LOADS of long threads on this, have you done a search?

**skybie** · February 9th, 2009, 07:23 PM

we use penis and vagina, only because, god forbid anything happened to DD she'd be able to say exactly what happened and not only that penis and vagina arent dirty words so why should we call them anything different?

**jackrose** · February 9th, 2009, 07:23 PM

I am soooo with you!

We will only/do only use the real names for the body in this house. I don't want any confusion and don't see any reason to dance around the issue of genitals. They are what they are and there is no need to be embarrassed about them in my opinion.

**tiggerandpooh** · February 9th, 2009, 07:27 PM

proper names all the way - we don't have a different name for a leg or a hand, so why have a different name for penis and vagina. My DH on the other hand.... but I always use the correct words.

**Floweryfields** · February 9th, 2009, 08:07 PM

We I am in childcare, so we are taught to use the correct words - though for me this is difficult as not all parents are in agreement and you have to follow the parents wishes.

One example though - A 3 year old girl was in the toilet with her pants off and doing a 3 year old dance around the basins! Anyway she's patting herself as she sings 'bum, bum, bum' but she is actually patting her vagina - so I said no sweetie, your bottom is at the back and she asked me what that was called, so I told her, your vagina - she was happy with that information and eventually got dressed and returned to the group.
Not sure what her parents might have thought if she went home and told them what it was - but I didn't get any complaints!

**Jahzara** · February 9th, 2009, 08:23 PM

Here here !

From day one we were in agreement that we would use the correct terms.
Our boys think it is the norm and dont think it is something to giggle about.
I believe it makes it easier in the long run too.

**AliBaby** · February 9th, 2009, 08:30 PM

In NSW, it is mandatory that we teach child protection and in kindergarten we go through the proper names of different parts of the body.

**Neenee Jellybeanie** · February 9th, 2009, 08:40 PM

And when he wanted to know why DD didn't have a penis I tried to teach him "vagina". He couldn't quite say that and then I thought "well, that's not actually anatomically correct" so I tried "vulva" and he just thought that word was just hilarious and is always pointing and saying "vulva" whenever I change her nappy! But he pointed at me in the bathroom the other day and said "gina" so I guess he picked it up.

This made me laugh out loud! How adorable.

I have a habit of calling DDs whole nappy area 'bottom', which I shouldn't do. Actually this reminds me of when my Mum was changing DDs nappy and she had nappy rash. My mum was trying to tell me where it was going, "on her, um, ah" "VAGINA, Mum?" "Yeah, that"

You're right, vulva is more correct though.

Actually, this reminds me of something else funny. My friends youngest daughter who's five is fascinating with breastfeeding. She's watched me breastfeed DD and has argued with me that it isn't actually milk! I tried to explain "it's like the milk you get from a carton, but that's cow milk. This is human milk" "No!" Hehe. But anyway, I digress. She was watching me breastfeed and started talking about her 'boobs'. Her mum tried to say, 'No, that's your chest' 'No, they're my BOOBS!'

I don't mind words like 'willy' or 'fanny', but some of them are quite out there and have little or no relation to actual genitals.

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