It can be awkward to talk about one’s private parts no matter how old you are, but it’s also important to know and understand the names and functions of those same parts.
It allows us to know when something may not be right with our health and makes sure that we can describe the issue clearly with our doctors.
Nicknames and euphemisms can just confuse the issue.
It turns an important, possibly time-sensitive, diagnosis into a game of telephone.
If you tell your doctor that you feel “uncomfortable in your breadbasket” and not “there is pain in my vagina, up near my cervix,” then they may waste time looking for other issues.
This gets extra confusing when children are involved.
Kids already struggle to clearly communicate their thoughts and feelings, and teaching them incorrect terminology for their own body parts only confuses issues of health and safety.
Is it awkward to say the words yourself? Sure. Especially if your own parents raised you with euphemisms.
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But by starting with the correct terminology from the beginning, your child will never even realize it’s awkward.
In an article for The New York Times, Dr. Perri Klass explains that just as parents will name body parts like elbows and ears during bath time, they should use the opportunity to name the genitals too.
As much as we hate to think about it, proper naming is also important in protecting your children from sexual predators.
A child may be trying get help in a bad situation, but if Suzy keeps telling her teacher that a family member keeps touching her “flower” then the signs may be missed.
While school can help teach the correct terms through regular health classes, parents need to help too.
In one study , researchers tried to improve the vocabulary. Though children knew the names of most body parts, they couldn’t name their genitals. Those who were taught by both parents and teachers retained the new knowledge.
For those that were only aided by teachers, the only word retained was “penis.”
Of course, correct vocabulary isn’t just about physical health or sexual predators.
The biggest reason to teach your children the correct terms instead of cutesy euphemisms is that it also teaches them positive body image.
Being willing to name a shoulder or thigh, but not an anus tells kids that those parts of their bodies are shameful.
Is it possible that Peter could announce something awkward about his penis in the middle of Whole Foods?
Sure, but just like you teach him not to whip it out in public, you can teach him not to talk about it too.
Treat it the same way you would that swear word Sally learned from drunken Uncle Joe last Thanksgiving.
There are words were don’t use in public and body parts we don’t announce details about to the world, but we should never be ashamed that those parts exist in the first place.
