I laughed when I heard a 4 year old once talk about his c**k... Just sounded so boastful and grown-up, compared to someting like diddle. I think most 'cute' names come from the parents embarassment, so agree with your decision to use the correct terms. As the father of a wee girl, I quite like the shortened version ('gina) but look forward to hearing the consensus on naming girls bits, as we will have to face this shortly...

In our house with three preschool boys we use the word "peanut" rather than penis just because it's a better sounding word - Maybe it's my upbringing, I'm sure I can blame my parents.

The area in question is the two year old's undies have a picture of "Muka Puka" on them [from a TV show]and we all know how a two year old will generally replace a P with an F

We use "penis" and "vulva".

I heard a horrible story about a girl whose parents called it a "cupcake". When she came to her teacher and complained that someone had touched her cupcake she got brushed off.

anatomical names work for a while.......then they grow up and get emparrased by them - about age 6-8 in my experience - and there's no way you'll ever be allowed to use them again! :)

Being fairly pragmatic we try and use the proper terminology with our daughter without making a big deal out of it. All the silly taboo euphemisms drive me mental.

Reminds me of the time when the high school class my wife was teaching tried to embarrass her by asking what a prince albert piercing was. It backfired on them when she explained it without hesitation or embarrassment, in great and exruciating detail complete with sketches on the whiteboard, and asking if there were any futher questions on the subject...

I think kids should be taught the correct names. Vulva is the external genitalia and vagina is the invagination, or tube, to the cervix/womb. If anyone is doing any inappropriate touching it's most likely going to be on the vulva, not the vagina. They should be taught both words, although I think for little kids the idea that they have an invagination down there would probably come as a surprise. Perhaps vulva when they are small and then an extension to vagina when they get older?

I'm a big fan of 'quimmy' as the name for the female nether regions, or just quimm.

Pet names irritate me. I don't know why but they do. Foo foo (where the hell did that come from!); pee pee; wee wee; winkle; todger; beaver (sometime with "split" in front of it); diddle; snatch; dick etc etc. We have always said penis and vagina. My eldest son (when he was very young) walked down Lambton Quay one day announcing to the world that he had a penis because he was a boy and mummy had a vagina because she was a girl. The reactions were priceless.

Boys have a penis and testicles, girls have a vagina - live with it.

I had to chuckle about the bit refering to all the different euphenisims they use in romance books. A sex scene can last a couple of pages without mentioning ones 'nether regions' by name.

I have four kids, and I know I shouldn't, but I do feel embarrassed/uncomfortable about using the proper names. My boys do know the proper names, but use 'willy' in general conversation. Actually, somehow they have picked up the term 'weinie', but I don't know where lol.

I think I'll stick to the traditional gutted hedgehog.