Today was a big day for us. Elena used the potty for the first time (and she did it four times at different points throughout the day.)
This lead to no end of discussion of pee-pee and poo-pee (as we have affectionately termed it in our household.)
Tonight on our date, which is when we have most of our important family discussions, Nancy asked me if we should come up with a nicer term for… you know.. number one… than “pee-pee”. Something more polite, more delicate. Naturally, I asked why. Apparently the word “pee” is looked down on as a bit of a crude word in some households. “You’re kidding.” I replied. She wasn’t.
So I thought for a moment, and (being in a rather mischievous mood, and it being a private conversation (that I am now sharing with the world)) offered: “How about ‘piss’?”
Shocked gasp from Nancy. Slight rib jab.
“No! I’m serious! It’s a biblical term!”
More shocked gasping. Disbelief.
Read-em and weep. The word “piss” occurs 8 times in the King James Version of the Bible.
* Alright, so I know it’s a crude term. I stopped using it frequently in public a few years ago. (“Aw, piss.” used to be a favorite expression of mine…) Funny story though, right? Don’t worry. We probably aren’t going to teach Elena to say “piss”. Probably.
March 20, 2008 at 10:39 pm
That’s wild. I’ve never heard of pee being “not nice”. I thought that WAS the delicate way to say it. When I’m out with girlfriends, I say, “Hey, I’ll catch up with you in a few, I gotta pee.”
Personally, I think it’s worse when I’ve had people over and their kid goes, “Mommy, I have to foozle, where’s the wookie?” (foozle and wookie being made up names only the kid and his mom know about). I say let the kid learn the real words for things… and let the world get over their discomfort with it. It could be SOOOO much worse than pee-pee.
March 21, 2008 at 7:25 am
Congratulations on this milestone! I agree with Natalie. However, if you want to impress your friends with Elena’s vocabulary, teach her to say, “I need to go micturate” or “defecate” as the case may be.
March 21, 2008 at 10:10 am
“So, honey, do you have to piss or take the Browns to the Super Bowl?” :D
March 21, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I once heard of a lady who wanted her husband to stop using the offensive word “butt” and instead refer to that area as his “boom boom”. I couldn’t help but laugh every time I saw them, and often said things like, “Quit sitting on your boom-boom and help me move this box” whenver within earshot of the husband.
Good luck to you guys. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you decide to steal their word.
March 24, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Not that you actually solicited ideas, but I really like Kathy’s suggestion.
We actually use “go to the potty” or “use the restroom” in public, and often are more specific in private.
March 28, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I am probably not a good roll model for a child in a GCM household…. however I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone offended by a CHILD saying “pee”… in fact I’m pretty sure I’ve seen more people offended by the proper name for the substance (urine) than the word “pee”…
Tho I have seen several PARRENTS somewhat embarrassed by their child’s use of toilet terms in public…