She totally captures how I feel about the old double-standard of how it’s okay to talk about penises, but not vaginas
I remember a few years ago, when my step-nephew reached his hand down to his wet swim trunks and exclaimed, “I touched my penis!”
Have you ever heard a 4-year-old girl be this proud to announce to the world that she touched her genitals?
I don’t even remember my mom ever naming my vagina for me. It was referred to as “down there” or that place where I pee from. I remember describing it once to my mom as the front of my bottom.
When I had a daughter I decided I would never be afraid to speak up about down there. I made sure to use the name vagina to get her used to it. Let her know it has a name. Vagina.
I mean we take the pride to name little girls’ other parts—knee, elbow, fingers, toes. Why not—vagina?
This is your vagina. It’s where babies are born from.
Maybe one day she’ll reach in her pants and proudly say, “I touched my vulva.” And I will beam poolside.
Of course, I think cute names are okay, too. In everyday speak, we call the vagina the nina.
And I never squirm from explaining the answers to her questions. She already knows that she will one day get a period, too. And a week ago, she decided it was time to practice. So she put a panty liner in her panties for the night.
How can I expect my daughter to feel healthy and comfortable about her body if her mother doesn’t? I strive every day to find new ways to accept how I feel about my body. Every part of it.
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