the poo cat

alexandra has been very excited and curious about her vagina lately. when her diaper is off, she plucks at her part like a banjo. when i'm out of the shower or using the toilet, she points at mine and says, "that!" yes honey, it's all about "that."

this leads to the awkward crossroads as to what we are going to call the anatomical parts of our bodies with her. we have deliberated and talked about this, and we have decided to keep my dear friend amy's family name alive: the poo cat. (still undecided on male part's name).

i met amy freshman year in high school when she transfered to our school from a private christian school. her and her sister shannon just blew us all away: they were funny, they lived in a big house with new, mauve furniture and a pool table in the basement, her parents let us all hang out there, and these parents (fred and scarlet--i love you!) openly talked about the poo cat. coming from a house of sexually repressed christian rhetoric, this really blew my mind and made me slightly uncomfortable at first. but soon it became normal, and fun, to use this word to talk about boys, sex, teenage life and all the drama that goes with it openly and honestly, with adults...the poo cat was always present in our teen prattle.

so while i am defying my demographic of the liberal yuppie parent who uses the anatomically correct words for everything, i feel totally happy when i hear alexandra refer to her "ooo at." i hope we can provide an open space for her to talk about her poo cat throughout her life, the challenges having this said body part bring, and how having a poo cat and being a women is a much more defining experience as you get older than you ever thought it could be.

now if she would only stop thinking that xena--our cat--is also a poo cat. oops.

ps: photo of a vagina halloween costume. you can wear it over your suit to work! any takers?