What word did you teach your daughter for her privates?

Question

My boys, ages 4 and 3, know they have 'weiners'. Now that I have a daughter, I am faced with the question of 'where is her weiner' and my response starts, 'she doesn't have a weiner, she has a.....' and then I fall short because I don't know what word to use! All of them are so disgusting! "Coochie"- to me that is a sex word. "Vagina"- that can wait for the gyn office or sed ed. And every other option I've though of falls into one of those 2 categories...what word do you use for your kids?

Answer 1

We use the proper terms. Penis and Vagina. Not that difficult.

Answer 2

I teach them the right words...just like I teach them the right words for their elbows and knees.

Penis......vagina.....vulva.....

I find it odd that people are so afraid to teach their kids the correct words for the parts of their body.

I agree with Shiraz_princess.

I also agree with Alone1with3 - I think that the "cutesy" terms are MUCH more ridiculous or sexual or offensive than using the correct terms!

EDITED TO ADD:
BTW folks.....the vagina is the INSIDE part. The external part that the child can see is actually called the VULVA.

The human female reproductive system contains two main parts: the vagina and uterus, which act as the receptacle for the male's sperm, and the ovaries, which produce the female's ova. All of these parts are always internal; the vagina meets the outside at the vulva, which also includes the labia, clitoris and urethra. The vagina is attached to the uterus through the cervix, while the uterus is attached to the ovaries via the Fallopian tubes.

Answer 3

Weiner?? LOL

A weiner is a hotdog. Teach them the right words but if you really feel uncomfortable with them using them all the time, refer to private parts as his or her "business". I still think it's important for them to know the real terms though.

Answer 4

We have always used the proper terms, penis and vagina. That is what the parts are. There's no sense in using euphemisms that perpetuate the silly mythology that there is something wrong with them. Fear of a word only increases fear and misinformation about the thing itself.

I want my children to grow up with a healthy appreciation for their bodies. I want them to have a healthy adjustment to sex when that comes and not to hold the silly perverted ideas of sex as dirty and filthy. My belief is that if we stopped treating these issues as though there was some big nasty secret out there, we might see less perverse behavior. The contradictory messages we give young people about bodies is ludicrous.

Answer 5

Even though you dont wish to use the word ''Vagina'' it may be very important that you do, you dont want to confuse young children with there body parts, be open and honest and dont be embarrassed, id rather my daughter running around saying vagina than running around saying look at my weiner!

Answer 6

I as an RN hate hearing little girls talk about their cookies or their coochies - it's sexual and it's inappropriate for their age. I would merely call it a private, and if she's not acceptable with that and wants more, tell her it's a vagina, but that we don't want to talk about it outside of home or outside of the doctor's office. Privates in public, proper terms at home....

Answer 7

We started calling it "privates" when they were really little. I have a girl (now 8) and a boy (now 5). They still refer to it as their privates. My son called his penis a peeper when he was old enough to name it (they all do eventually, lol)...
I like the idea of privates because it goes along with "Privates are private parts that no one should ever see or touch except you - that is why they are called privates".

I will add that both of my children were taught the proper terminology for their private parts as well. We just generalize and say 'privates' usually but they know what the correct terminology is...

Answer 8

I must agree with the majority of adults that answered this question. Call a body part what it is. No part of the body is bad, nor dirty or a source of shame.
If you are not comfortable with the words "vagina" and "penis", perhaps you need to examine your own feelings and perceptions to your body. As a parent, how you feel towards yourself has a direct impact on how your children will view their own bodies. Please be kind and loving with yourself and know that your whole body, each separate piece - liver, lungs, heart, brain, vagina, hands, and so on, are perfect just the way they are. Please pass that acceptance of self on to your own children. They are perfect just as they are.
You have a great opportunity with your children, to foster love and respect of self. There is no greater gift you can give to a child, and a girl in particular, than self respect. Knowing ones own body, and feeling comfortable in that skin, is the first step to self respect.

Answer 9

I am a health care professional, and in our family, our four have been taught the proper terminology. I find much of the other terms just ridiculous or offensive. Many adults who learn these terms in childhood sound like idiots as adults, as they tend to still refer to their genitals by the terms their parents taught them!!! I can't tell you how annoying it is to see adults who can not speak about their body parts in an appropriate manner when they come in the office. I do not want to hear all these offensive and childish terms! You will serve them much better by using the proper terminology!

Answer 10

Do you call their other body parts by different names too? What a confusing world it would be if we all had different names for all our body parts. Start now while your children are young and they don't care and teach them the right names and then gradually start teaching them to refer to them as private areas if they are out in public or if you don't like the real names.

Answer 11

If you tell the boys, they have penis' and not weiners, and that girls don't have them, seriously, honestly, not make a big deal or joke about it, the boys will say ok, and then just go play. If they ask again, say I already told you, and thats it.