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The dangers of peepees and winkies

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Parents often spend hours in discussion about the strangest of topics. Take body parts, for example: While mom and dad may have their own special names for their own private parts, when they have a child, they may decide to use entirely different words. Something to consider, though, is that using the wrong kind of word could place the child in danger.

There are at least three different ways of going about naming private parts.

  • Strictly biological: Some parents choose to use the words vagina and penis. It’s considered straightforward and less confusing. Like calling a spade a spade, so to speak.
  • It sounds funny: Option B is to use some word which doesn’t provoke any emotional or intellectual response: These are varied (ask ten people, you’ll probably get ten different responses): Winky, cookie, pee-pee, wee-wee, willy... you get the picture. Often this is done to avoid embarrassment in public.
  • Your.... WHAT?: Trying to train a toddler is challenging. He’ll be energetic and inventive, and also speaking his own private language. Even though you may prefer to use the word “penis”, he may latch on to some other word.
The dangers of funny names

While parents may only be thinking of what is anatomically correct, or of wanting to avoid public embarrassment, there’s another reason to consider carefully what you call your kid’s penis or vagina: Child molesters and sexual predators who know how to groom kids sometimes use naming of private parts as a means to get away with their crimes. For example, if a girl calls her breasts her “barbies”, and she then tells her teacher that, say, an uncle was playing with her barbies, the teacher won’t understand her distress, and the girl may not ever share this information again.

Paedophiles are good at knowing how to fool children and also at avoiding detection. One way to avoid the funny name danger is to keep to the words “penis” and “vagina”, and to add that only mom or dad or a doctor may see, or if necessary, touch specified areas, such as the buttocks, breasts, penis or vagina.

You can’t always stop your child from using funny names, but they should also know how to use the correct names, too.

Do you think that it’s dangerous to use funny names for private parts?

 
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