How do you teach your kids their private parts name?

Today my husband and I had an argument over this subject because I told our daughter that the name of her pp was vagin# and he said that was not an appropriate word for a kid. But in my mind I should teach her the actual name so she won’t get confused but at the same time English is not my first language and I don’t know if just saying private part is really normal and correct.

Read more on Peanut

The views expressed in community are solely the opinions of participants, and do not reflect those of Peanut.

Learn more about our guidelines.
Add a comment
Avatar

My son is almost 4 and ive taught him the proper/correct names for both private parts 🤷‍♀️ I would rather have my children knowing the proper names for their parts for safety reasons as well as there's nothing wrong or "taboo" about literal names imo.

Avatar

It's not inappropriate, but it's not correct. Vagina is inside the body and cannot be seen. It's the canal that leads to the uterus.
The labia and vulva are the terms that should be used.
Also your husband is wrong. It is important to teach proper terms so there is no confusion if something bad happens.

Avatar

my daughter is 2 and knows the correct name for everything - no sugarcoating anything

Avatar

We both tell my son it’s his penis no reason to make it shameful at all

Avatar

The correct name is actually vulva vagina is the canal the babies come through to be born in a vaginal delivery

But absolutely teach the actual words

Avatar

So probably say privates as the general area, to speak of it in general, but like if something hurts or is itchy definitely ask her to point to where if you're not comfortable with the actual words yet, but she needs to be able to communicate with you when she feels like something isn't right also , so in that aspect also definitely get her comfortable talking with you about her body

Avatar

But definitely explain that there are a few holes there and one is where babies come through and one is where pee comes out of

Avatar

https://www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com/content-hub/how-and-why-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-their-private-parts#:~:text=Child%20development%20experts%20say%20that,to%20teach%20them%20the%20names.

Avatar

So the suggestion here is to start talking to them about their private parts at 3 years old

Avatar

My kids are taught the appropriate word vagina/penis. They are the easiest words for them to use and for me to know what they are talking about. Of course when they are older they were learn about the actual specifics but now I keep it simple

Avatar

Always teach them the proper names because God Forbid something happens to them and they don’t tell you but someone else who doesn’t know what code name yall use, they won’t understand. Like the teacher who didn’t realize what the little girl was saying when she said her uncle licked her cookie and her teacher told her it’s good to share her snacks 🤦🏽‍♀️ there’s no shame in knowing proper anatomy parts of your body. Just explain the correct time to use the words and the only ppl allowed near it like a dr

Avatar

We use the terms Vagina/Penis and Butt or bottom for their butts obviously. 🤣 my favorite though is that my 4 yr old sounds vaguely like Donald Trump… My China 🙊🤣

Avatar

My husband and I had the same talk and his reaction was about the same as your husband.. and I explained that if my son god forbid was being forcefully touched and shouted out stop touching my “titi” no one would know to help him or what he is talking about unless they are from the Philippines… so I taught my 3-year-old the correct term anyways and we still use our terms st home but it was a tough conversation to have with my husband 3-year-old was a-okay with it lol.

Avatar

So if your kids ever in a horrible situation they’ll ask what they touched. If they say a word that’s not close to what it is a lot of times they throw it out. That’s all I have to say on the subject.

Avatar

research and expert recommendations support teaching children the correct anatomical names for their body parts as a protective factor against sexual abuse.

A study published in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse (2012) found that children who know the correct names for their body parts are more likely to disclose abuse.

A study by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection found that many abused children do not report incidents because they lack the vocabulary to describe what happened.

Research in child psychology indicates that using euphemisms for genitals can create shame or secrecy, making children hesitant to speak about inappropriate situations.

A study from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) showed that children who know the correct terms provide clearer, more credible testimony when abuse cases are investigated.

Avatar

I teach my daughter proper terms.

Avatar

Absolutely teach the proper words. Do NOT use cutesy code words.

It's so, so, so important for so many reasons that they know the proper terms for parts of the body.

A few reasons just off the top of my head; 1. Hygiene. They need to know what things are, where they are, and how to keep them clean and healthy.

- adult women don't know the difference between a vagina and their labia and vulva and some don't wash down there because they have been told the vagina is self-cleaning.

2. As they grow up into teens and adults, it helps them understand and practice safe sex. Lowering the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

3. Trust in you. If you are open and honest with them and don't treat these subjects as taboo, then your children will be a lot more likely to be open and honest in return. They will feel safe coming to you with questions, concerns, and advice. This will also aid in their self-confidence and self-esteem.

4. To protect against abuse....

Avatar

People are less likely to assault a child if they know that child has the vocabulary to defend themselves, and God forbid something does happen. They can clearly say, "x touched my vulva," which will hold a lot more weight than "x touched my cookie."

The more confident a child is about and within their body, the more confident and safe they are as a person.

Avatar

my son is half filipino. We've been teaching in both languages. My MIL looks at me like I'm insane when she hears me say "now you wash your penis...."

Avatar

I am teaching “private parts”, because it’s more accurate. Vagina is only the birth canal - it is not an accurate term to describe the entirety of the external female genitalia

Avatar

I tell my toddler about her vulva and privates interchangeably

Avatar

Weve always used the correct anatomical terms with my 8 yr old and have begun doing the same with my 2 yr old.
Theres absolutely nothing wrong with calling things as they are

Avatar

Use the correct terms, ALWAYS.
Do not use cutesy terms, no matter how the correct terms might sound coming from a little one, it’s best for them to know the actual terms.

Avatar

I think because bodies have been sexualized the word punishment or vagina, labia, clit makes some people very uncomfortable because they equate it to just a sexual organ instead of as a body part like any other.

We use the correct terms. We don't give nicknames to them. We explain what we're doing in the bath while cleaning and why. While doing a diaper change we explain what we are doing always so that, if for whatever reason someone else has to do a diaper change she knows what to expect and what is not normal for a diaper change.

Avatar

Vulva is the correct word for the outside of her privates and vagina is the inner canal. Children who are taught proper anatomy are statistically less likely to be SA’d and if they are SA’d they have the ability to access help a lot easier rather than telling a teacher someone “touched their cookie” and not receiving actual help. The anatomical terms are not bad words and it’s on you as a parent to undo your shame for your own body parts instead of passing it down to your children. It’s the same as saying nose, elbow, or foot. That being said I do jokingly call my own privates “coochie” and would explain to my daughter that it’s a funny nickname but not the actual word for it.

Avatar

It's been proven that children who know the actual name for their vagina/penis etc are less likely to be targeted by p*dophiles as they are more aware, and being more aware means they are more likely to tell an adult instead of keeping quiet. There's a bit more to it than that but I don't remember the whole thing haha

Avatar

My kids know the correct names. There is nothing inappropriate about knowing the correct names!

Avatar

Thank y’all ladies for giving your thoughts and ideas. That definitely helps a lot. Also reading all your comments makes me believe I was not crazy and that is exactly what I think about that also well. I always thought about teaching them the propers names for EVERYTHING because these things no one has the responsibility to teach but the parents. Thank you❤️

Avatar

Girl my uncle was a Sergeant for police over 30 years. He did investigations on this stuff. Just trust me. You are NOT crazy. Use the proper words. Don’t fail your kid if god forbid something happens.

Read more on Peanut

Trending

in our community

Oh my God, oh my God I hope this is not true!!!! I’m kind of scared

I’ve been throwing up and taking a shit all night!!! I just hope that it’s not what I think it is

Avatar

1

8

Small head reported following 20 week scan

Has anyone else had it flagged that their baby is in the bottom 5th percentile for head size?

They said everything was fine whilst we were in the scan and then I got a phone call the next day saying that it’s on the small side and we’re being referred to a paediatric specialist at St George’s. Has anyone else had this and how did things go??

Avatar

4

Would you bring 9 week old to a family party of 35+ people?

These are also people who will want to pass the baby around and get a turn to hold him. He just got his 2 month shots two days ago

Avatar

1

18

Exercise 6 weeks after c section

What movement did people start to introduce? I won’t do anything too vigorous until I’ve seen the pelvic physio as I don’t want to compromise anything that may have been extremely weakened through pregnancy! But just wondering what types of classes/movement people started off with?

Avatar

6

Is this normal??

I’m 29 weeks pregnant and having really aching legs and they’re all lumpy and swollen. Above the knee and behind the knee . Should I be worried ? My legs have never looked like this up until a few days ago. ??

Avatar

4

Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Avatar

7

7

Read more on Peanut