{"id":78597,"date":"2025-10-16T00:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T04:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=78597"},"modified":"2025-10-16T00:18:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T04:18:23","slug":"why-do-kids-want-to-talk-about-bums-and-poos-all-the-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-do-kids-want-to-talk-about-bums-and-poos-all-the-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do kids want to talk about bums and poos all the time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you spend time around little kids, you may notice one topic seems to be more interesting and hilarious than any other.<\/p>\n

Children of all ages love to make comments and jokes about bums and poos (as the\u00a0many<\/a>\u00a0popular\u00a0books<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0topic show<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Why do kids love \u201ctoilet talk\u201d so much? And is it a problem?<\/p>\n

What does Freud say?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One explanation lies in developmental psychology and Sigmund Freud\u2019s theory of psychosexual development. He\u00a0described<\/a>\u00a0five stages of psychosexual development, and argued the way a child progresses through these stages helps to shape their personality over time.<\/p>\n

According to Freud, usually between about one and four years, children go through the \u201canal stage\u201d where there is a focus on controlling bowel movements for toilet training. Freud has\u00a0much to say<\/a>\u00a0about this stage, including the child\u2019s struggle to resolve the conflict to either hold onto the poo or let it out, which is influenced by how parents manage toilet training.<\/p>\n

While Freud\u2019s work has been the\u00a0subject of much debate<\/a>\u00a0over many years, he reminds us that, as children learn this new skill of control, their interest in all things poo and bums can increase.<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s a fascinating business<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This time also coincides with children\u2019s\u00a0increasing awareness<\/a>\u00a0of their different body parts and how they work.<\/p>\n

New bodily experiences can be fascinating, and with new language skills, there can be much joy in talking about them, over and over again.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it funny, for example, to see how your body makes different noises when it is full or bloated?<\/p>\n

Farting, while universal, is also socially taboo. It is also this psychological tension that makes it a source of laughter as\u00a0children are learning what is socially acceptable<\/a>\u00a0and what is not.<\/p>\n

It gets a reaction<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research\u00a0also suggests<\/a>\u00a0primary school-aged children like to be provocative about these topics \u2013 seeing what sort of a reaction they get when they joke about bums and poo.<\/p>\n

Parents of primary school kids will no doubt agree.<\/p>\n

Kids can find these jokes hysterical, and work out that if they continue, they will often make others laugh too. How funny is it when mum or dad are trying to be serious but then break into giggles?<\/p>\n

This in and of itself is reinforcing, and can also provide important moments of family connection, bonding and health.<\/p>\n

Funny poo talk can\u00a0provide opportunities<\/a>\u00a0for parents to talk with children about the importance of good food choices and gut health (to help, you could try reading\u00a0There\u2019s a Zoo in My Poo<\/a>\u00a0by Felice Jacka and Rob Craw.)<\/p>\n

True, sometimes (even a lot of times) children might push the boundary too far. This is when some gentle reminders are needed about what is okay for the room as well as modelling appropriate chit chat.<\/p>\n

For example, \u201cwe don\u2019t talk about poo while we\u2019re eating\u201d or \u201cwe don\u2019t make fart jokes in front of people we just met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Children might also need gentle reminding that they don\u2019t use these words to put down other people, such as \u201cyou are a bumhead\u201d or \u201cpoo face\u201d.<\/p>\n

What can parents do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s important for parents to use\u00a0correct terminology<\/a>\u00a0for body parts and bodily functions.<\/p>\n

Taking a matter-of-fact approach shows kids this is just a normal, natural part of life. For example, \u201cwhen you poo it is your body\u2019s way of getting rid of all the things that it does not need \u2013 it is really healthy to poo every day\u201d.<\/p>\n

It also helps prepare children for transition out of this phase of fascination with bums, usually around the age of eight.<\/p>\n

This approach can also be helpful if your child experiences constipation or has problems with soiling. Parents need to be able to talk openly and honestly about poo, and what worries the child might have that\u00a0could be affecting their bowel movements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parents also need to show confidence and comfort in talking about these topics as they are a precursor for other topics, such as puberty and sex.<\/p>\n

What is most important is parents and other trusted adults provide a space for children to feel comfortable with their bodies and talk about anything they might not understand.<\/p>\n

And, of course, to have the opportunity to learn when bums and poo talk works for a laugh, and when it might need to be left in the toilet!<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Catherine E. Wood is Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you spend time around little kids, you may notice one topic seems to be more interesting and hilarious than any other. Children of all ages love to make comments and jokes about bums and poos (as the\u00a0many\u00a0popular\u00a0books\u00a0on the\u00a0topic show). Why do kids love \u201ctoilet talk\u201d so much? And is it a problem? What does […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[434563],"tags":[435543],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-78597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-development","tag-toilet-talk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy do kids want to talk about bums and poos all the time? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-do-kids-want-to-talk-about-bums-and-poos-all-the-time\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do kids want to talk about bums and poos all the time? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you spend time around little kids, you may notice one topic seems to be more interesting and hilarious than any other. Children of all ages love to make comments and jokes about bums and poos (as the\u00a0many\u00a0popular\u00a0books\u00a0on the\u00a0topic show). Why do kids love \u201ctoilet talk\u201d so much? And is it a problem? 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