Privates

We've been teaching Madeline her body parts, and it is a source of endless excitement for us to quiz her on her "parts". It's almost pitiful to watch us flailing in excitement when we say, "Maddie, Maddie, hey Maddie, where is your NOOOOOOOSSSEE?" and she points with a smile to her little button nose. She can point to her ear and her belly-button too (see, I just had to brag a little --- oh no, crazy suburban parent -- tamp it down, tamp it down) but she threw me for a loop when she discovered a body part she never knew she had before - her vagina.

She was in the bath, splashing around - she has quite a little belly, so she's never been able to see anything below it. But when I said, "Hey Maddie, where's your belly button??", she grabbed her belly and looked down at her belly button with a smile. Suddenly, she realized, HEY, there is something *else* down there. A new prize! She grabbed her vagina with both hands, and looked up at me with a quizzical look and a smile that said, "Hey Mom, what's that??!" She waited expectantly.

I decided to go for the medical approach. "That's your vagina, Maddie". She gave me a quizzical look (both hands still firmly attached)...I tried again "VAAA---GGIIIII--NNNNAAA".

"Waa?" She kept smiling at me, waiting for a better answer (one hand started stretching her poor vagina lip)

Ouch. Hm.

"It's your Va-jay jay?? Your whoo haa? Your lady business????"

She just seemed more and more confused. The second hand started stretching the other lip.

"Your cheeseburger? Your Gladys?? Your ookie?"

She laughed and let go.

What the heck do I call it? Vagina seems so medical, so filled with consonants...maybe we'll just have to settle with what I learned back in pre-school - that's your PRIVATES.