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.
Woo-woo and ya-ya.
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.
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…..
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.”
I’m afraid we call it a gneric pee pee! Also a family name- a family not known for their generous sexuality.
My daughter Nina (nee-na) will be relieved at your alternate pronunciation.
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.
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.
[...] 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”. [...]