V is for Vagina

[dogmom]

And P is for Penis.

This is a great article about teaching kids the correct anatomical words for their private parts. Thought people would be interested.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/the-case-for-teaching-kids-vagina-penis-and-vulva/274969/

[georgiegirl]

I'm all for using anatomically correct terms. I will say that one of the benefits of having a boy and a girl is that they are familiar with the parts (and correct terms) of the opposite sex. My sisters little girl couldn't stop staring when she saw DS naked. She was 18 mo old and DS was 3. She squatted down to get a better look and had the most perplexed look on her face. It was hilarious!

[Katigre]

We teach "vulva" as the correct term instead for girls.

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[wellyes]

We teach "vulva" as the correct term instead for girls.

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:yeahthat:

[lizzywednesday]

We use "vulva" with DD, too.

I figure it's accurate since it describes the entire area, and that's usually what she's grabbing at when she's got to potty. But we'll introduce "vagina" in a bit.

[ckso]

At what age do you start talking to them about this? Dd is 4 and so far just calls it her private parts along with a conversation that no one should be touching her private parts unless mommy or daddy is there with the doc etc

[wellyes]

Ideally I think you introduce them not long after you introduce similar body parts.... elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle. It's just another body part. One that they should be able to identify without embarrassment or vagueness, if it is ever necessary (medically or safety reasons).

[rin]

We've always used the correct words with DD, ever since she first started being interested in body parts, so 12-18 months maybe? We use "penis" and "vagina" here; I figure that even though vagina's not technically anatomically accurate, it's the most common usage and my primary goal at this point is for her to be understood if she needs to be, not for her to be able to identify anatomical details for biology class. We also do the whole "private parts" thing, but for us private parts include the butt/anus area as well.

[Katigre]

At what age do you start talking to them about this? Dd is 4 and so far just calls it her private parts along with a conversation that no one should be touching her private parts unless mommy or daddy is there with the doc etc

We started before age 2. There was never a time that my kids didn't speak of their genitals with correct names.

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[jgenie]

At what age do you start talking to them about this? Dd is 4 and so far just calls it her private parts along with a conversation that no one should be touching her private parts unless mommy or daddy is there with the doc etc

We have used the correct names from the beginning. I can still see DH changing DS1's diaper at 2 weeks or so telling him he was going to wipe his weiner to get the poop off. It's been penis ever since. Vagina was harder since we're a boy house but we bought a book and that took care of it.

[JBaxter]

I've used penis since birth. Testicles is amusing coming from a little person. My oldest couldnt remember and called them his chemicals for a long time no matter how many times we corrected him.

[ckso]

We have used the correct names from the beginning. I can still see DH changing DS1's diaper at 2 weeks or so telling him he was going to wipe his weiner to get the poop off. It's been penis ever since. Vagina was harder since we're a boy house but we bought a book and that took care of it.

What book did you get?

[123LuckyMom]

We have used correct terms since birth. DS says penis, scrotum, anus, and he knows girls and women have vaginas, and grown women have breasts. We use private parts, but we also say nether regions to denote the whole undies covered area.

[jgenie]

What book did you get?

I'll check the title when I get home and update you.

[Tondi G]

we used correct terms with our boys .... at the age of almost 8 and 12 they have a penis, they have balls and girls have vaginas.

Course I love when a friend of mine just told me they were playing the "what starts with" game... A for apple, ant, arm ... then moved on to B .... Ball, bee, box, bat .... and her almost 3 year old DS chimed in .... oh Mommy ... don't forget Bagina!

[MamaMolly]

I call it vulva too, but DH is sooooooo uncomfortable with it. Poor dude. And Lula came home from school calling everything from her bottom to her vulva 'foofy' because their art teacher tells the kids to sit down on their foofys. Not my favorite, but what ever. She uses 'foofy' and I use vulva.

[jgenie]

What book did you get?

I bought a couple but liked Who Has What (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Has-What-About-Bodies/dp/0763629316/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366394890&sr=8-1&keywords=who+has+what) the best.

[BabyBearsMom]

We use anatomical terms and DD1 loves to discuss her labia, lol.

[brittone2]

We use anatomical terms. It used to freak my parents out, but they now find it amusing (DS2 was recently telling my mom about how he has a penis and DD has a vulva, and then went through the rundown for the whole extended family.)

I think my ILs will or would faint if they heard the anatomical terms my kids use.

[erosenst]

Funny timing on this.

We've used 'vagina' since we started naming 'parts'. However, for whatever reason breasts were 'boobs' - I think because my friends and I call ours that.

In the last few weeks, DD has really looked like she's starting to develop, although she's only 9.25. She had her well child this week, and I wanted ped to confirm. (I know that sounds weird - but she has a slight concavity in her chest, and has always had a buddha belly that also made it apparent where the outline of her breasts would be if that makes sense - but net, I wasn't 100% sure.) It occurred to me that DD might not know what we were discussing, so I filled her in that the proper word is 'breasts'.

Similarly, she knows I use tampons, and more or less why - but didn't know it was called a 'period' or 'menstruation', so I taught her those as well. Forgot 'puberty' - she learned that at the ped :).

[nfowife]

We use penis and vagina. Thanks to kindergarten, though, DS has started saying weiner and thinks it's hysterical.

[citymama]

Good article, couldn't agree more. I'm mostly just in shock about the MI legislator being kicked off the House floor for saying "vagina" and the school stories about that too. Yikes.

For those of you who use the word "vulva" - do you explain what the vagina is? Haven't done that yet.

I would have loved to hear more about what the educator covered I'm her 30 minute presentation that left the kids so well informed on a range of important topics. I want to give that talk to my kids!

[niccig]

We use anatomical terms. It used to freak my parents out, but they now find it amusing (DS2 was recently telling my mom about how he has a penis and DD has a vulva, and then went through the rundown for the whole extended family.)

I think my ILs will or would faint if they heard the anatomical terms my kids use.

Both my ILs and my parents are surprised DS knew the correct anatomical names from a young age. I want him to be able to say someone touched him on his penis and it be perfectly clear to everyone what happened, if it ever happened. And hopefully it won't. He knows the names and he knows that no one is to touch him there/he isn't to touch anyone. He's 8 yrs old, so even I don't need to touch his penis - unless it hurts and I'm checking why. Our ped. gives a very good talk every annual visit about appropriate reasons for someone to be touching him, and asks DS for his permission before an examination. I can imagine as DS gets older, I may not be in the room for that examination - don't think a 14 year old boy would want his mother in the room then.

[wellyes]

For those of you who use the word "vulva" - do you explain what the vagina is? Haven't done that yet. We used Amazing You (http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-You-Getting-Smart-Private/dp/0142410586/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top), which talks in an age appropriate for preschool way reproduction (explains egg, uterus, vagina without explaining sex). My daughter was fascinated because to her, it was a story about herself and how she was born. She spent a week afterwards talking about how when she grows up, she's going to have a baby in her uterus. The exact same way she watched a wedding on YouTube and spent a week telling me what her wedding dress will look like when she gets married.

[hillview]

so if we had girls I'd use vulva but with 2 boys I've gone with vagina and penis and testicles. I felt that vagania was more "typical" for boys to use vs vulva.

[lizzywednesday]

I just wanted to hop back in and say thank you to everyone for the additional resources! I'll figure those out in the next few months now that DD has decided she's potty-trained. (Yeah, it's been a whirlwind week.)

We use "vulva," and that's what I remember my parents using (also, having two younger brothers meant I knew "penis," "scrotum," and "testicles" once they were born) but I was at a bit of a loss for how to introduce "vagina," as that's the internal part vs. the entire "frontal area" that "vulva" refers to.

[Momit]

so if we had girls I'd use vulva but with 2 boys I've gone with vagina and penis and testicles. I felt that vagania was more "typical" for boys to use vs vulva.

We do this, too. It's worked out well so far.

[wellyes]

so if we had girls I'd use vulva but with 2 boys I've gone with vagina and penis and testicles. I felt that vagania was more "typical" for boys to use vs vulva.
I could see this. With girls I think it is a good idea to use vulva since that includes what they see when they look at themselves naked in a mirror (as all kids like to do.....)

[indigo99]

The boys are learning the words that we use which are penis, balls, and boobs or breasts so far. DS 1 takes showers with me but hasn't really seemed at all interested in the fact that I don't have a penis so that hasn't even come up yet. I do think that I'll teach him vagina though instead of vulva even though it isn't right. I NEVER use the word vulva for anything, and I want to teach them "correct" terms but still use words that won't elicit strange looks if used with peers.

[ladysoapmaker]

We've always used the correct terms with our kids from day one. My parents didn't bat an eye, I think they taught us the correct terms. MIL was fine with it. However I still get a kick on DH's Step-mother's face when DS#2 informed her that he was a boy and had a penis and she was a girl and she had a vagina. In her mind children shouldn't know those things.

Jen

[queenmama]

We have never used the proper terms.

Growing up, my family used the Tagalog words for our parts.

With DS we said weiner, balls, and bum until he got to be around 9 or 10, now it's "junk." He knows their proper terms but we are a super casual family so if someone says penis or weiner or junk, whatever, nothing offends us so say what you're comfortable saying. He's always known "no touching" except us and doctor.

Lara

[AnnieW625]

We say private area although DDs know that boys have penis. I don't know why we do this we just do, but when it does eventually come up in a conversation then I will use the correct anatomical names. It is how I was taught growing up as well. I like to think I am completely normal, and I did well in anatomy class as well.

Everytime this topic comes up I think of the scene in Kindergarten Cop (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=31b_70kzfwQ)

[MamaMolly]

For those of you who use the word "vulva" - do you explain what the vagina is? Haven't done that yet.

I tell my girls that they have 3 holes down there. The anus for poop, the vagina for babies, the urethra for pee. No major questions so far, but I'm waiting :eek: