Yes, those were the words of excitement coming from my
beaming 3 year old as he showed me his artwork one Saturday morning!
With so many new moms in our office, we often talk about
where our young ones are developmentally. We talk about crawling,
walking, and potty training. But even more importantly, we talk about
practicing what we preach when it comes to providing age-appropriate, medically
accurate information about sexual health and anatomy to kids.
In particular, I remember explaining that I had a difficult
time keeping my husband from reverting to the old familiar concept of giving
reproductive organs “nicknames.” When our son was 2, my husband was
intent on allowing Landen to call his penis “Willie” I had to quickly
jump in and make sure we were both consistent about teaching Landen the proper
term. Finally, Landen was ready to potty and proudly announced to us that
he had a “penis named ‘Willie!’”
Whatever nervousness my husband had is gone and we are proud
that our toddler is responding and learning about his body as well as the
alphabet, numbers, colors, etc. When he came running to me with the
spider picture that faithful Saturday, he pointed out the spider’s eyes, legs,
head, and, yes, his PENIS. We will get to the correct anatomies of ALL
animals and insects soon – it’s one step at a time!
My husband and I are just beginning this journey but now I know
that we can be honest, open, and give accurate information to our child without
hesitation. We will continue using teachable moments to share our values
and give advice, especially as he gets older and is exposed to more sexualized
information in the media and at school. We will welcome questions and try
to answer as best possible.
We are not perfect and will admit when we are not sure but
always look for appropriate answers. I truly believe that well-informed,
confident boys AND girls have the strongest foundation for making healthy
decisions, not just about sex, but about many of life’s challenges.
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