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“Don’t call it a pee-pee or a hoo-hah.”
Talking with your children about sex.
As a clinician in private practice, one of the phrases that I frequently hear myself saying to parents is this: “Please don’t call it a pee-pee or hoo-hah.” Yes, this may well be one of the silliest phrases that I ever say, but it illustrates my point about talking to our children about sex: be honest, without shame. And perhaps part of why I make a gentle, lighthearted comment about “hoo-hahs” and “pee-pees” is that I’m sitting with a parent who is not in a light-hearted situation. Often we are talking about talking to children about sex because their child may have been sexually abused.
This brings me to the first important “why” of having this conversation: it is about your child’s safety.
Talking to our children about sexuality helps to protect them.
We talk to our children about not touching a hot stove, about how to tie their shoes, and about riding a bike. We talk to them about other aspects of their bodies. We should certainly be clear about all of their body and what various parts are called.
Call it a vagina.
Call it a penis and testicles.
