When Luca was first starting to talk, we called his penis his ‘pee pee’. We kept that for a couple months until we started potty training, when ‘pee pee’ and ‘pee pee’ became confusing. At this point, I told him it was his penis, and explained that boys have penis’s and girls don’t.
Flash forward a couple years to Aviana and a similar discussion. But before explaining that boys have penis’s and girls don’t, I paused. That simple explanation implies however subtly that boys have something and girls don’t. So I told her boys have penis’s and girls have vagina’s. It seems so simple, but something we may be neglecting in our teaching children.
So, I encourage you as you explain body parts to your kids, whatever names you want to give them is fine. But please refrain from saying one sex has something and the other does not. Explain what each one has. It’s one small step, but hopefully by the time this generation is old enough there will be equality between men and women. That is my hope anyway.
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