Bodies and the Taboos We Place on Them

As a nursing mother, I have naturally had a vocabulary pertaining to body parts and their uses. The words breast, nursing, nipple, etc. are commonplace at our house. When I hear other parents using words like boob and tit, it makes me cringe. Our society shuns any discussion about our bodies unless it is in the media and it relates to the actual sexual act or some form of deviant or negative nature.

We are not supposed to give correct anatomical names to body parts but it's ok to use slang or derogatory remarks in everyday tv and movie drama that our children are exposed to.

A healthy approach would be to use the word breast when referring to them and have a relaxed attitude toward nakedness. If you aren't comfortable with your sons bathing with you, try to act nonchalant when and if they come in and see you in various stages of undress. If you act like nakedness is wrong, then to them it will be.

I also am sure to comment on the innappropriateness of an act, gesture or comment if we are in the presence of such. When a giggling child comments or points at the baby nursing, for example, I mention that many times people giggle when something looks different to them and that the child may not have ever seen a nursing mother before.

I think that this attitude creates a feeling of comfortableness within my sons' bodies and prevents them from feeling that their bodies or women's bodies are something to make fun of or be ashamed of. If more people would take the taboo out of the words breast, penis and vagina then our kids wouldn't need to be deprogrammed when the subject of teasing or sex came about.

And, for those that wonder, although we use those words in our home if the subject comes up, my children are not fixated on nakedness or saying the words in any situation. In fact, nakedness is not a big event around here. I think it's much healthier that way, don't you?

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