"Uterus" is Not a Bad Word

Why do we tell children that a baby lives in Momma's tummy? We all know that it doesn't. So why do we tell them it does? Why, of all the things we let kids see and hear, is it not okay to give them medically accurate and age appropriate information? There is nothing inappropriate about the word 'uterus'.

When I was a kid, I asked my mom where the baby was, and like almost every mother, she said, "In my tummy." Now, as a young mother, this was probably the first time she had answered this question, and culture teaches us that that's what you're supposed to tell kids. So I don't fault her at all for telling me that. But let me take you on a walk inside of my mind:

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"My brother is in mom's tummy....well...I've thrown up what's been in my tummy before, so I know what's in there, and it's gross." In my mind, an image of a baby floating around in puke emerged. Not a pretty picture. I was confused, and here's the mildly amusing but scary part. I didn't ask any more questions about it because I decided that surely Mom was wrong about that because that didn't make sense. And then comes other questions - so when a baby comes out, do they cut her open? Or does she poop the baby out like she poops food out? See? None of this makes any sense! Even to a kid!

I know that many people are uncomfortable talking to their kids about sex. The uterus has nothing to do with the act of sex, just with the results of sex. And it's good, not bad. So let's walk through this. How can we define uterus in an age appropriate way?

dictionary.com gives us the following definition:

"Uterus: a hollow muscular organ lying within the pelvic cavity of female mammals. It houses the developing fetus and by contractions aids in its expulsion at parturition."

Now, that definition is probably going to go over a young child's head. So here is a potential age appropriate answers to the question "Where is the baby?". Of course, there are many options, and an honest, medically accurate answer can be presented in many ways, and depending on the age and maturity of the child.
"Mom has a part of her body called a uterus. It's a special place/organ/home that's made just for a baby so that it can grow."

There is nothing inappropriate about that! So why are we saying tummy? It confuses kids and it's kind of a gross image. And if the kid is anything like me, they probably think you're lying to them, or you have no idea what your talking about. This leads us to a worse problem. If kids think you're lying to them, or your answers make no sense, they aren't  going to keep coming to you with their questions. And when they are eleven-thirteen and going through puberty, their questions may be answered by friends or the internet instead of being answered by Mom and Dad.

It's so important that we are honest with children. Guys, UTERUS just simply is not a bad word. It's okay to say it. There's no difference between that word and "eye" or "brain" or "elbow" or "heart" or "stomach".