Scroll

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Scroll
Scroll

Name Game

posted Saturday August 29th, 2009

Allow me to explain, since Karen Bayless-Feldman (a Mothers Who Write repeat customer and one of the funniest people I know) so graciously asked, “NINA?!”

First, you should know that it rhymes with Carolina. Or vagina.

Given that I was raised to call both male and female private parts a “weiner” (and don’t you dare get on here and try to contradict me, Mom! You know it’s the truth!) I was determined that in our house, we’d call it penis and vagina. Nothing fancy. Which worked well with Annabelle (so well, as I believe I’ve written before, my mother once called me laughing hysterically because my daughter had told her “My vagina itches” — you can tell we’re not very mature in our family. Which is fine by me.) but not so well with Sophie, who for a long time could only say, “nina”.

And a nickname was born. Just like in your house, I’m guessing.

I am, I must admit, dying to know what body parts are named in the Bayless-Feldman house.

Did you enjoy this article?
Share the love
Get updates!
Tags: Filed under: Uncategorized by Amysilverman

9 Responses to “Name Game”

  1. Woo-woo and ya-ya.

  2. In our house the girls have toochies… it used to be a tuki (pronounced two-key) but my 5 year old boy mixed it up one day and called it a toochie and it stuck. The boys have penises unless they are caught peeing where they are not supposed to. Then I tell them to put their weapons of mass destruction away. They think this is hilarious.

  3. i’ll need to bring a first amendment lawyer into this exchange……meanwhile i’ll proclaim my innocence.
    i recall philosophical discussions and no mention of body parts…..

  4. Everything forward of the “rectum” (technically, anus) was “butt.” Maybe someone didn’t want us exploring too much. I did think we were civilized for using the terms “urine” and “bowel movement.”

  5. I’m afraid we call it a gneric pee pee! Also a family name- a family not known for their generous sexuality.

  6. My daughter Nina (nee-na) will be relieved at your alternate pronunciation.

  7. My little guy has a “noodle” and my daughter has a “pee pee.”

    I felt guilty and told my seven year old gal the real word today and she thought that it was a riculous word for her girl parts. So there you go.

  8. My friend from Mexico told me that where she’s from, a little girls’ nina is called “florecita,” little flower. I really like that. But Sophie herself calls everything between her legs a poo-poo.

  9. [...] So, anyone interested in teaching my kids the facts of life? When we’re at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, I intend to search for “What’s Happening to Me?” My mom volunteered to talk to her, but I said no thanks, Annabelle doesn’t need to go through life referring to both male and female body parts as “wieners”. [...]

Leave a Reply

My-Heart-Cant-Even-Believe-It-Cover
My Heart Can't Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love, and Down Syndrome is available from Amazon and 
Changing Hands Bookstore
. For information about readings and other events, click here.
Scroll

Archive

Scroll
All content ©Amy Silverman | Site design & integration by New Amsterdam Consulting