Before you get too far into this story, you need one vital piece of information: my children are allergic to penuts. We had to teach them about their allergy early so that they wouldn’t accept candy or food from strangers without asking if it had penuts, because “Penuts make me sick.”
Not too long after we brought my son home from the hospital, Christi changed his diaper while my daughter (3 years at that time) watched. This was pretty normal except that my daughter noticed that her brother had something she didn’t.
“Mommy, what’s that?” she asked as she wrinkled her nose and pointed at his penis.
My wife is a science teacher, so she believes in using the correct terminology when talking about these things. I was completely caught off guard, so she jumped in and replied, “That’s his penis.”
“His penut?” my daughter asked.
By that time Christi and I just wanted to move on, so Christi quickly replied, “Yes.”
Our daughter frowned, “Boys have penuts and girls don’t.” Once again, we affirmed her statement. Neither of us saw what was coming next, “Penuts make me sick.”
I couldn’t help myself. Without missing a beat, the daddy in me looked right at her and said, “Yes, they do.”
I will pay for her therapy later.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful!!!! My son calls his "peanut" too – he couldn't pronounce penis, and now that term has stuck. He asked me about my peanut, and when I told him that I was a girl and girls don't have peanuts he immediately said "You lost your peanut?? I'll help you find it!!" (For some reason he thought it might be in the bathtub.)
As his father said when he was born "I want him to work his way through college, but I am starting a therapy fund today."
Well as a midwife I have often thought the root of problems could possibly be penuts
Do not worry she will grow up and just sigh , then create a data base to keep you in order, if like our beautiful daughter… her Dad is a therapist.. say no more!!!!