And BTW: I don’t think I’ve ever heard a parent call their babies’ bottom/booty/tushy/butt a “buttocks”….but maybe I’m confusing the issue.

Here’s my body part question for ya, Dapnhe – what do you use to refer to the part of your daughter’s body from which pee (er, urine, excuse me) : ) comes? Because I have no problem with the use of the word “vagina” instead of “pee pee”, except that pee doesn’t come from one’s vagina.
I am asking this in all seriousness – not poking fun. For example, if your daughter complained of a pain down there, like maybe the onset of a UTI or something like that, would you refer to the urethra? Something about that just seems so odd to me, but I’m not sure why it’s any different than saying elbow or kneecap or whatever, so maybe I’m just being silly.

Having yet to solve that riddle, I seem to fall back on referring to her “pee pee” in these situations, even though I am normally 100% supportive of the use of proper body part names.

I say….get over it!

This woman couldn’t even SAY the word vagina herself. She called her own, “you know, dowwwwn therrrre” (gasp!).

Anyway, trying to keep a straight face, I asked her how she came up with “nee-nee”, and she said she wasn’t “ready to go there” with her 2 year old daughter. I was like, “What do you mean? It’s a body part. There’s nothing sexual about a 2 year old vagina. “. She nearly choked on her latte and looked at me as if I had 3 heads.

BUT, during this conversation, it occurred to me that her reluctance to teach her daughter to use “vagina” instead of “nee-nee” was MORE about how our culture sexualizes everything about a woman’s body. Even WOMEN do it! Yikes!!!

It’s strikes me odd that after having gone through pregnancy AND labor, how ANY woman can’t see her body as a more than a playground. I mean seriously.

I agree with you on this one Daphne. Though, I don’t necessarily cringe, I more like think, “Are you serious?!”.

Eileen.

Well, when my daughter was eight months old, in late September, early October I took her with me to Virgina where I met up with a group of other Bereaved Moms.(we had all lost children) and I roomed with my friend Melissa who had an almost two year old who was also breastfeeding. Her daughter called it “mei-mei’s.” I continued with whatever I was calling it.

Three months later, Ripley spoke up about it and declared them to be “mei-mei’s.”

Today she’s nine and since she was FIVE she refuses to use words for body parts or bodily functions that aren’t correct. She never “pees” she “urinates.” She doesn’t have a butt, booty or tushy…she has a bottom. She doesn’t EVER fart…she passes gas. I could go on but MAN is it annoying sometimes to be corrected when I say “boobs” (because they’re MY boobs damnit) by my daughter. “They’re BREASTS Mom…”

So basically I have no issue with whatever a nursling, no matter how big or little, calls their mom’s breasts or as seems to often be the case not just breasts, but a combination of breasts and breastfeeding. That’s what “mei-meis” was for us, that’s what I’ve found from other friends of mine who breastfed their kids have said. And that’s likely what “Boobie” was for the toddler who was nursing.

My opinion.

And another thing, if a kid is old enough to say, “mmmm I love boobies!” it’s time to get him/her OFF the boobie! Just sayin’….