In our house, we use correct terms for body parts. On any given day, you will hear penis, vagina, boobs, etc. said around our house. Our kids are now 8 and 14 but this has been something that our family has done since day one.
You may be thinking “Man, this would make for some awkward times” and you are completely right! Like the time, my then three-year-old daughter, walked around Sams informing me exactly who she thought had a penis and who did NOT … VERY loudly. I just smiled and waved and kept walking. My son chose a different route to embarrass me; at around 4 years old, he introduced himself informing everyone that he and Daddy indeed had a penis but Mommy had a vagina. We all smiled awkwardly and listened to the many comments on why he should NOT be saying “those words.” *eye roll*
I hope you got a good chuckle about those stories, after all, we are all kids on the inside and images of our kids embarrassing us with terms IS FUNNY. We can all laugh.
For me and our house, there are very serious reasons we choose to use the correct terms. If my child is ever sexually assaulted or hurt in ANY way, I need them to be able to tell me and the authorities where they were touched. Being told “My vagina hurts from So and So touching me” vs “Mommy, my tutu hurts” are two very different things. For accuracy, this is very important to us.
Also, we are science people, we enjoy science and learning about what our bodies can do! My husband teaches my kids correct terms for all parts of their bodies #sciencenerdsunite!
Finally, I have a vivid memory of being in 8th grade while in sex education, and a classmate was confused when the teacher was speaking about our vaginas. Later at recess, she was asking me questions and then said: “OHHH, you mean FRONT BOOTY?” That is not ok! We were at the age of puberty, a woman should know that she has a vagina!
Using correct terms for us is something that comes up regularly in conversation. I am sure we all have our reasons why we do or do not use “nicknames” for our body parts. For us, this is non-negotiable. Maybe your kids are so young, you CANNOT imagine them every saying correct terms, and that is okay. I ask that you just keep this in mind; education is important. Part of educating our children is making sure they are prepared for the outside world, the good and the bad. For me, this is a way of protecting my kids.
