What’s in a name?
When I was a little girl and we went to visit my mother’s parents, I was taught to call them Mother Dearest, and Daddy Bill, not Grandma and Grandpa. I have often wondered if this practice has continued in various ways. I have chosen to be called Grandma Judy, mostly because my grandchildren have a Grandma Toni. I was actually thrilled to be called Grandma, and my mother who lived to love her first great grandchild, was Grandma Peggy. When I was growing up, a very nice lady down the street preferred to be called grandmother, never grandma. I had the feeling that she thought it disrespectful.
I had heard of grandmothers being called Nana. What about grandfathers? I posted a question on Facebook and waited for my friends to check in.
Since in went public with my request, I had a pretty good response. Not a significant statistical one, but enough to give us an idea. So, if you are a grandmother to be, you can think about this,
The overwhelming favorite for grandmother was Grandma. There were some who added a first name like Grandma Dawn, or Grandma Brenda. Next in line was Grammie or Grammy, Grandmommie. Nana, and Granny. A good German name was Oma or Omama. Great Grandma was GiGiMa.
Of interest to me were the names that resulted in baby’s first efforts to talk that stuck. Memaw, Neena, Dodd and Deb. There were a few suggestions for grandfather, including, Papa, poppy, grandpa,
There you have it. Not earth shaking, but whatever the little darlings call you I am sure you are delighted with their choice.
Watch for future blogs about the joys and challenges of being a grandma. Having raised a blended family, at one time my children and stepchildren had four grandmothers. Each of which invited them to “Call me Grandma.”
