Vagina (What do we call it?)

[Anonymous]

We call it the "pie". I know. My daughter is 7 and she has a twin brother and an older brother (9) too. She shares a room w/her twin bro for now and it's ok. When she is @ 9 we'll probably have the "talk"..

[Anonymous]

I just point and say "there" but am open to better suggestions!

[Anonymous]

Agree that vulva is a better, and more accurate term than vagina.

I also like the British expression, "front bottom."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Good lord, the time your daughter is old enough to care about the different parts of her "vulva", she will not want to talk to you about them. I dont care what anyone on here says, I am sticking to "vagina".

You underestimate little girls' exploration of their own bodies.

It really is not as complicated as people are making it out to be - all this brouhaha is evidence of what a distorted perspective we have in this country about normal body image and awareness versus the paradoxical hypersexualized and shame-based views that are promoted.

[Anonymous]

We call it the whole area "vagina."

We've been told by doctors as well as safety officers to make sure our children call their privates by their correct names.

Yes, we realize "vagina" is not anatomically correct for the entire area. However, no one is going to mistake what a little girl means when she talks about her "vagina."

[Anonymous]

We use the word "vulva" to talk about the outside area. My daughter has at times told me that he has a rash on her vulva (she actually says "bulbot" but whatever) and needs some cream. I'm not familiar with an "everyday" word for he vulva as I am for the buttocks. (For buttocks, we say "bum". But I think the difference is, I use the word bum frequently in casual converstaion. (Like, "Put your bum on that chair! Sit down on your bum or I'm turning the tv off..." )

I just don't have a need for a conversational word for "vulva". If I did, I think I would choose "pee pee" because the reason a little girl needs to talk about that area usually has to do with using the potty and wiping.

We also, like a PP, use the general term "private area" (or as DD says "my privacy") to refer to anything covered by underwear. I'm not wild about her using the word "vulva" in preschool and so I tell her that we only talk about our private parts at home, in the bathroom or if we need our parents or doctors to look at something that is bothering us. In school and with freinds, we say "privates".

I think tha "vagina" is just an incorrect term in this context. It would be like using the word "throat" when you are talking about "lips".

[Anonymous]

New twist! I have only boys, no girls, and they know about their penis and scrotum. In practice though they call it penis and balls (thanks, dad).

Anyway, elder DS5 asked what girls have if they don't have a penis. I was a little stymied for all the decent reasons discussed above (ie, the vagina is not the vulva and neither one has to do with pee, which is why i think he was asking the question ...)

So what say you moms? They're never going to have to tell a Dr. or a cop that their vulva itches, so I'm not so sure they need that word at 5 or even 8. In fact, if they were to come to me talking about a vulva I'd be concerned. "Vagina"? something else?

[Anonymous]

we use vulva with our 3.5yo dd.

[Anonymous]

Genie. I really like it even though it isn't thecorrect word. They are kids after all and having fun words for things makes it easier to talk about.

[Anonymous]

I'm laughing out loud! I have never personally used the word vulva and agree with the PP that if a little girl came up to me and said something about her vulva I'd be very caught off guard. That said, everyone has her own parenting style, so to each her own!

[Anonymous]

to 20:39 : I also have a son, and use the word "vulva" with him when he asked why his baby sister looked different. As my daughter grew older, I told her that boys have penises and girls have vulvas, and everyone has bottoms or bums.

I am aware that to a lot of adults the word sound funny. I admit it sounded weird to me at first too -- but I've used the word matter of factly enough times now, that it just sounds like the name of a body part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We call it the "pie". I know. My daughter is 7 and she has a twin brother and an older brother (9) too. She shares a room w/her twin bro for now and it's ok. When she is @ 9 we'll probably have the "talk"..

hahah..Pie?? That slays me.

Im taking a more silly approach and calling it, "woo-woo" .

[Anonymous]

I have no idea why, but my mom called it a "chi-chi". Seriously. It sounds so funny to me now. We also knew the apparently not so correctd term, vagina. Maybe I am ignorant (my master's is not in anatomy) but I have never referred to my "private parts" as vulva, nor do any of my friends. Maybe I have seen The Vagina Monolouges too many times.

[Anonymous]

My dd's health teacher in middle school called it a "pocketbook". However, she would refer to the penis as a "half-smoke" and in this case would refer to the vagina as a "biscuit".

[Anonymous]

LOL, that is the funniest thing ever! Thanks for the laugh!