And the word of the week seems to be…
This week there has been a huge focus on male anatomy in our home. The word of the week starts with a P and ends with an S. I’m telling the word in riddle form because I don’t want the search engines to get the wrong idea.
RK has not been entirely comfortable with the conversations, but I’ve insisted that he not treat them as if they are a big deal. The girls know to say “private parts” if they absolutely must talk about such things in public, but they also know they can use the proper words for those private parts when we talk about them at home. I don’t want to stifle conversation, no matter how uncomfortable RK might be with said conversation.
So, we’ve had some pretty bizarre conversations this week. Honestly, I can’t wait until they move onto something else. But I’m not letting them know that. If I did, they’d probably never move on.
So we’ve had several anatomy discussions, discussions on why we can’t see the dog’s %#&!$ (his hair is too long) and, well, you get the idea. It’s the word of the week, the discussion of the week, whatever.
Hopefully I’m laying the groundwork for open discussion when the girls are teens.
July 31st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Too funny! All kids go through those stages I guess, and I think you are totally doing the right thing in discussing their questions openly w/out making a big deal out of it.
My sister and I never experienced those talks in our home growing up, and to this day are uncomfortable talking about anything related to sex or body parts/functions/etc. around our parents – or even with each other! I definitely want to be able to have those open conversations with my daughter as she is growing up. I am definitely part of the camp that believes the more clear information kids are armed with, the less they will feel the need to experiment later on…
July 31st, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Our daughters preschool has the kids use the bathroom with the door open. As a result, they’ve seen it all and get that boys have different parts (and know what they look like).
At first, I was taken aback by it. But, now I see some benefits :-)
July 31st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Yes this is always a fun topic…lol! Our little one is 2 1/2 and her nanny refers to her vagina as her bum,our little princess is quick to correct her with “No Nanny,GI NA”….to funny!
July 31st, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Girls = Talking about it for 1 week
Guys = Lifetime obsession
Be thankful for the small things (no pun intended)…
Big Daddy
LID 3/21
Father to Yi Xiao Fang from Jiangxi…waiting for a TA!!!
August 1st, 2009 at 12:20 am
Thanks RQ for teaching your children the correct terms for body parts. Although I agree that in public saying “private parts” is usually best, but sometimes you may have to use the correct terms in public.
I am a kindergarten teacher. I had a boy in my class tell me that his “puppy got hurt.” I told him I was sorry and hoped that his dog would feel better soon.
His mother called me after school and said that he had “cramped his hotdog on the monkey bars.” I asked if she was referring to his P. She was completely horrified that I had used the word. He had a significant injury that required medical attention. I felt awful because he had to wait four hours until he got home to get medical attention. I was completely unaware of because of the words used. He was a very quiet boy so there was not a chance that he would have told me more than once that there was a problem.
August 1st, 2009 at 2:17 am
It is always funny the things that kids will talk about. Our daughter is 3 1/2 and asked me the other day if she would wear a bra when her “boobies grow up”.
August 1st, 2009 at 10:03 am
nicurn – We actually discuss that particular body part quite a bit, though they tend to be more fixated on the N part (you know, the part at the end). RQ isn’t as uncomfortable with those discussions as he is the ones about male anatomy, for some reason. Hmmmm.
bkjeff – that is sad. If he had told you “private parts”, you’d have still understood the general idea, but “puppy” just didn’t tell you anything at all. My girls would likely say “private parts” to a teacher if they got hurt there, and if that didn’t get the point across then they might use their other words. Depending on how badly they were hurt.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
One of my girls used to insist that she HAD a p**nis when she was about three, so it could be worse! We use proper terms for anatomy at our house, too, and I’ve always been comfortable discussing such matters with them. I’m seeing the payoff now, because my oldest is about to start puberty and she is (so far) very comfortable talking about it with me.
August 5th, 2009 at 8:39 am
bkjeff – I feel for you! And for the little boy, but I have to admit I had a few laughs at “cramped his hotdog” – OMG! The sad part is not only the hurt he endured, but the shame his mother no doubt teaches him to feel about a very personal part of himself. I hope this will turn into a wake up call for her, maybe she will realize she needs to rethink things, for her son’s sake. Thanks for sharing!