Bits and boundaries

Posted by Penni on 2 January 2010 | 5 Comments

Tags: parenting, toddler, pregnancy

There are a few different ways to tackle genital talk with your kids. We are of the 'call them by their real names' school of education. There is no 'pee-pee', or 'front bottom' or 'poo hole' - only penis, vagina and anus. But I digress.

The baby within has been kicking, punching or head butting (I'm not sure which) for the last couple of weeks and recently it became possible to feel the action from outside touch. As a consequence I have been recruiting my husband's hand frequently, urging him to feel it and, probably unfairly, getting disappointed when he looks at me blanky and shakes his head.

This morning I summoned our toddler's soft hand and placed it where I was feeling the movement. Now, I should add that a lot of the movement has been down low... low, low, and so it was that his fingers did have to venture south of the knicker line. Struggling to keep still and concentrate on the task at hand, his little fingers did slide a little further south than intended. He quickly withdrew his hand and stated, 'Oh, no, that's your vagina. Maybe you should do it.' In between attempts to suck in air amidst the laughing, I felt proud. Proud that he had used the real word and demonstrated that he was aware of personal boundaries. That's my boy.