A to Z Blogging

A – Z Blogging Challenge, Raising Boys: The Penis Chronicles presents the Letter V for Vagina

Writing Sparkle

Parents CanadaParents Canada August/September 2016 edition published a short piece that I had written about my own experience with a curious son asking about body parts. My parenting adventures with questions about the penis and the vagina didn’t end with that article though. The body questions continue as do the blunders.

In the not so distance past my family and I were on an airplane. The plane had a layover in Regina, Saskatchewan. As the plane lands a voice comes over the loudspeaker saying, “Welcome to Regina…” My six year old’s head flies up and he bellows, “What? Vagina?” It took a bit of cheek biting on part as I mentally ran through the ridiculous scenario I was talking my way through. This particular scenario had me explaining that we had not landed in vagina, and no we weren’t getting off the airplane into vagina. Repeated attempts to get him to hear the R sound of Regina had me wondering if I should take him to get his ears checked!

However, it seems that my older son has reached a stage where the anatomy of boy and girl isn’t as much of a concern anymore. His new interest involves babies in tummies. I can see a new chapter in this line of questioning coming my way soon.

Meanwhile, my younger son is entering into the stage where he wants to know about body parts. He is a boy of few words though and I had to have a bit of a discussion with him about not trying to look up nightgowns, down people’s pant, or under the stalls in public washrooms; and to think that I was well prepared for his line of questioning when it came along, but he turned that idea upside down. That said, when he did use his words to ask about female and male body parts I was well seasoned to provide the answers without skipping a breath.

By Shari Marshall – written for April 26, 2017

10 thoughts on “A – Z Blogging Challenge, Raising Boys: The Penis Chronicles presents the Letter V for Vagina”

  3. I was not aware one needed to take a plane to get to the vagina, but that might be a good way to keep the boys away from them for a while. Ha!

    My worst adventure along this line was my son being very proud of the cardboard whistle he found in the bathroom garbage. No, my dear, that’s a tampon applicator. We had to have a talk about not touching things in the bathroom garbage. Euw.
    Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction

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    1. Thank you for sharing that, I am crying from laughing. I have to say that taking the boys into the ladies washroom is near the top of my least favourite activities list.

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  6. The British and Canadian pronunciation of Regina is indeed jarring to American ears! I’m told they pronounce names like Sophia the same way.

    It’s really important to teach kids the proper names of body parts, particularly the different names for each area. Too many people, adults included, seem to think “vagina” is the all-encompassing word for female genitalia, instead of only the internal birth canal.

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  7. That is hysterical! It will also be hysterical when you retell the story when they get older – either just to him or…….
    I always tell my boys that I took only one picture of them naked when they were in the bath as babies for when they were teenagers so I could show them to their girlfriends if they gave me problems. The looks on their faces are priceless.

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  9. Pingback: A – Z Blogging Challenge, Raising Boys: The Penis Chronicles presents the Letter Z for Zonked – Writing is Communication

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