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Body parts, China and a two and half year old

This falls into the category of something I never thought about on my way to parenthood. But it happened one day a few weeks ago.

china.jpg

Sometime back, my wife and I agreed on teaching our children the anatomical correct name for their body parts. It wasn't a big discussion, just something we sort of agreed on almost in passing.

Of course, most of this teaching goes on while I am at work. So I never really have given it that much thought until my daughter caught me off guard.

Her mother was at the doctor. And we were playing in the living room. She opened her mouth wide. I did the same. We did the aahhhh thing, each of us getting louder by the moment. Finally, I stopped and pointed in her mouth and said: "What's that in there? Is that China?"

That stopped Ana Isabel. "No, papa. That's not my China. This is my China," she said while doing a full-on Michael Jackson crotch grab. Vagina, China. It's all the same to a two and half year old. I just about fell out of the chair trying not to laugh.

I relayed the story to my wife. We laughed. It's better than the name her grandmother used to for the same body part, Carrie Ann said. Tootie. It confused her as a little girl when the sitcom "The Facts of Life" had a character with the same name.

So, how do you handle teaching your children about their body?

POSTED IN: Luis Perez (20), Say what!?! (13), Toddler (73)

Please comment

Comments

Your post made me laugh out loud! I can't say we've come up with a specific plan for our 3-year-old.

Very funny! My 2.5 year old is also learning the correct names for body parts, along with the slang words. So for instance, he is learning "testicles" as well as "balls." Don't want him to be the only one who doesn't know the slang term when he starts hanging with the boys. Of course, after a bath, my son looked at me, pointed to my crotch and said "Mommy's penis?" when I explained that I had a vagina, he then expanded with "Where Mommy's balls?" My husband and I were cracking up!!

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