Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Revision to Previous Plan

Some people raise their small children in a way they believe is shielding them from what they view as inapropriate subject matter.(That's fine with me. Whatever floats your boat...)You might hear said people calling certain body parts by alternate names such as weenie,willie,boobie,pee-pee,vajayjay, etc. You know what I'm talking about.

At our home I have made a concious effort to use language that is more along the lines of what a mature adult would say- maybe what your doctor might call the nether regions of your body. You know...the given anatomical labels.

There are those of you who know this about our family, and have heard a funny story or two of my child speaking of his "privates" in a blunt manner using said label without realizing it might not be accepted by all. Because of this, I have revised my origional plan of staying strict on the anatomical labeling.

The revised plan now includes instructions to my children that they are to refer to their genitals as "privates" or "private parts" when discussing them in public. Don't get me wrong, they don't go around spouting off random remarks about them. It just so happens that when you're young and discovering the world around you there are lots of questions to ask and statements to make. Mara hasn't been the one to inspire the revised plan, if you know what I mean. Cam is the scientist of our two children.

I guess we have to improvise as parents. That's what I've come to learn,anyway! I really love this part about parenting, because it means I don't have to be perfect. Good thing, too, because I'm not by a long shot.

There might be another post to come about my discussion with Cam about where babies live before they're born. Interesting story. He really "gets it" (on a 6-year old level).

What revisions to your parenting plan have you made? Or better yet, do you have a plan? Do share!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I should get a plan going.....maybe that would help. We change all the time...such as-we quit sitting our kids on "the chair" for discipline....when we discovered that throwing toys away became much more effective...now we unhook the "Wii" for a week....and then they started begging us to throw toys away instead-I think that parenting is ever changing based on each child and their personalities/needs.

Tammy said...

Let me know when you figure it out. I'm pretty much lost. I think your doing an awesome job.

Holly and Brad said...

a plan...I'm supposed to have a plan...

dangit, i knew i forgot something!

love you Sara and your parenting ways!

chelon:) said...

am i supposed to have a plan? hmmm...i better get going on that one!

azufelt said...

So far, our plan includes not even discussing boy parts really. Not because I don't WANT to (weird?) but obviously it's not a part of our life, so it's not necessary, we'll soon find out if that will change in our life!

I guess I don't really care either way though. I do think it's slightly crude to hear a little girl run about telling people that she hurt her vagina... but some people probably think it's a sheltered child that refers to everything down there as her bum. I don't care, I haven't taught them one way or the other, they just make it up themselves, that's fine by me, so far.

Alison is totally right though... parenting things or styles definitely change as they grow up, with each different child, everything, I mean, heck, YOU change in that time difference also. You aren't the same person you were when you had your first baby, you've had many influences on you, so it seems normal to change your ideals on what you learn in life.

I think most parents do a fantastic job for what works in their family, and frankly, that's all that matters.

Bonnie said...

Hey, we say private parts too! Cooper once told me that he didn't think that it was fair that Ashlyn had more private parts than him. I guess it's true, but I never thought of it as an injustice... when his wife has her period I'm sure he'll realize what a blessing that inequality is!