Does not one want to be called "grandma" anymore.

[ccm]

I wasn't too keen on being called grandma when my granddaughter was born, but there is no sweeter sound on earth than my dgd saying "Grandma!" :001_wub:

[KidsHappen]

I was not consulted on the matter. I would have prefered Nana but I have a dd whose nickname is Nana. So my grandson of his own according decided to call me Mum or some Mom. His mother is mommy or momma.

[MariannNOVA]

:lol:There has to be a cool story to go along with it.

 

 

not so much. :001_huh: I had very young children of my own when my grand daughter arrived, so I was really not into 'what did I want to be called.' We tried Nana, but that didn't really work for any of us. Finally :001_huh:when Allison was almost 4, we knew it was time for me to have an official moniker. I think I must have been watching TLC with Paz and Big Penguin and that's when it hit me.......Big Penguin......and it stuck. :D

 

My avatar had been Big Penguin and Paz but the bow is up in memory of a friend's son who drowned last fall.

[mommaduck]

Some is cultural. Yiayia and Papou, for example. Others are due to having so many grands and great grands living. I had grands, step grands, great grands, and step great grands. This was my family. They included Grandma and Grandpa Last Name, Grandmom and Granddad First Name, Nana and Bapa, Mammaw, Mama (pronounced Mehmeh) and Papa(w), Great Grandma First Name.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I am a young 40 yo grandmother and I do not want to be called grandma, granny, grammy, nanny, nana, or whatever.

 

 

I simply don't identify with the images associated with those names.

 

 

My name begins with Me- so I chose Meme (maymay) as my name for now. I may change my mind if my GD chooses to call me something different. ;)

 

 

In the meantime, I will never buy anything with grandma printed on it. If I could find a French-Canadian store that would ship clothes with Meme printd on it, now that would be something.

[Lady Florida.]

My MIL wanted to be called Nana and my FIL wanted to be called Poppa. Well, when my son, their first grandchild, could talk it came out Nene and Pop Pop. It stuck and all my kids call them that. My in-laws never refer to themselves as Nene and Pop Pop and it really bothers my kids.

 

:grouphug: for you and your kids.

 

We were asked by dss and ddil what we wanted to be called. I knew I wanted to be Nona, but dh didn't have a preference. We all decided on Pop-Pop because it just seems to flow - Nona and Pop-Pop. However, as the little guy becomes verbal, if he comes up with his own mispronunciation, we'll embrace it.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I want to be called Grandma!! But that won't be for a (hopefully) long time.

[Cosmos]

I have friends who are now grandmothers and they go by Gigi, Cece, Nene, one chose GrandMary (her first name). Whatever happened to grandma, grandmommy, granny or nana? Does it just sound to old for today's 40 something grandmother?

 

GrandMary is what my mother picked! It didn't stick, though. The first grandchild changed it to something completely different and all the other grandchildren have followed suit.

 

I think I'd like to be Granny or Gram or maybe Nana. I don't particularly like Grandma, though.

[jewellsmommy]

Personally, if I get to become a grandmother, I prefer to be called 'Grammy'. The name 'grandma' just sounds OLD to me. My grandma just died at 95 last year .

 

 

My mother is Grammy. It makes me thinks of graham crackers :D, but I like it. My dad is Grampy. My mom's mom is GG.

 

Dh's mother does not have a designation. We refer to her as daddy's mom :001_huh:. It's a long story :glare:.

 

Dh's dad (not married to his mom) is Zaboo :lol:. Dd named him when she was 2 cause that is when we found dh's father. His SO goes by Nanny.

 

Ds's grandmother is Honey. That is what he had always called her.

[mamakim]

My paternal grandparents were German, but for some reason we didn't do the traditional "Oma/Opa", but rather we called them "Grossmama" and "Grosspapa". I wouldn't mind that, Grossmama, or Oma. I worry about it sounding strange with dh's eventual title though since he won't be taking on a German grandparent name. "Oma and Grandpa" hopefully won't sound too weird!

[bolt.]

I think tha shift has to do with multiculturalism, for sure -- but I also think it's about the shift in the view of children as persons. As a grandparent now, the gp expects to have a real relationship with the child: a person to person relationship, not a position or role in their family life. Therefore, selecting one's name for that relationship is different from the former practice of having a 'title' that simply described the technical related-ness. As a personal relationship, that name needs to be something of an identity (one the gp is comfortable with) and so the 'generic' name isn't always welcome: especially if it has unflattering overtones or memories, like being old, crusty, formal or frail.

[Lisa in Jax]

I had a "Meemee" and a "Grandma" and a "Mama" (great-grandmother) and a Grandma Jones (great-grandmother). My mom and MIL are each called "Grandma first name."

 

I think I'd like to be "Grandma Lisa" when it's my turn. ;)

 

A funny: my friend's daughter calls her grandmother "This." It started b/c she was long-distance and called frequently (b/c she couldn't visit). She always started the call by saying, "Emily, this is your grandmother." So, "This" is what she's called. ;)

 

Lisa

[KungFuPanda]

My kids have a Grandma, a Mamaw, a G.G. (yes, I spell it that way because it's for Great Grandma), and a Grammy. It keeps everyone straight. :)

[Mommyof4ks]

My kids have have two grandmas and four great grandmas, so it get confusing when everyone is grandma to them. I want to be called Oma, and that should make it easy to tell who the grandkids are talking about.

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

When I was made a grandmother 3 times over by my stepdaughter - and I am still in my 30s - I heavily resisted "grandma," but those darn girls named my spouse Mimi and me GRAMMY. And it stuck. Hard! LOL. But they are so darn precious, I don't even mind.

Edited June 9, 2012 by TejasMamacita

[Mo_Babee]

Well my mother strictly forbid us from coming up with a name for her. She insisted that my DS come up with his own name for her when he could talk I'm not sure what we called her until then but once he started talking he called her Gram and so it was and still is 3 grandchildren later.

[Remudamom]

I am now officially MaBelle. It's what my mother's grandmother was called and I'm named after her.

[OrganicAnn]

My mom loves being "Grandma" and my MIL is "Grammy". If you ever want t-shirts or mugs with it is easier with Grandma as in "I <3 Grandma"

[MollyAnn]

I grew up saying Grandma and Grandpa (last name).

My parents started out Grandma and Grandpa but when dd was almost 2 my father started tossing dd in the air and dd would laugh and say "do gin" (do again) and it turned into that she started calling him Do and it stuck. Then my mother decided that if my father didn't have to be Grandpa she shouldn't have to be Grandma and re-named herself Nana.

DH is southern so his parents were MeMaw and Pawpaw from the start.

[StaceyinLA]

at 41, and I'm proud of it! :tongue_smilie:

[Miss Peregrine]

I like "granny." I think it's hilarious epecially since I'll be in my 40's when I become one.

 

If the kids say it in a Downton Abbey accent, all the better!:lol:

[FO4UR]

I want to be called grandma. "Granny" is what the great-grandkids will (hopefully) call me someday.

[Mom in High Heels]

My mom is Gigi, but the name was given to her by my cousin when he was young. He couldn't say her full first name, which starts with a hard "G' sound, so he just called her Aunt Gigi. When Indy came along Gigi just...stuck.

 

My MIL is grandma and I think it would be confusing if my kids had more than one "grandma."

 

My step-mom is Nana.

 

I wonder why there are so many names for a grandfather that don't sound old and always have been, but it's a relatively new trend for grandmothers?

 

FTR, my dad is O'pa, my FIL is Pop and my Step-dad is Papa.

 

I have no idea what I'd like to be called when I eventually become a grandmother. Hopefully many, many, many years from now.

[The Girls' Mom]

My MIL got named Nanny because my oldest dd couldn't say Granny. (And she had been called Granny by HER oldest son for years before grandkids...started out as a joke and stuck) Dh's aunt is NoNo. Her oldest grandson was rambunctious as a child and heard No! No! from her a lot, so that is what he called her :lol:

 

But the funniest is my SIL's dad. Her much younger brother taught her son to call her dad Old. And it stuck!!!

 

FIL is Papaw (what he picked), and then my step-dad was Grandpa Kevin, and my real dad is Grandpa Taylor (Although he refers to himself as Pa....just never stuck with my kids since they don't see him much). My mother passed away before grandkids.

 

When I was growing up I had Granny *insert last name* and Grandpa *Insert last name* for all of my natural grandparents. My step-grandparents were called by their first names because I never felt comfortable calling them anything else.

[pitterpatter]

Are they all biological? We call step grandparents by name here.

[Pippen]

I don't know why there's such variety. I don't think it's bad, just different.

 

Although, when my mom tried to get the kids to start calling her 'GrandMom' when they've always called her 'Grandma' I stepped on that one. Hard.

 

Same here, only it was when Grandma started in with "Pawpaw".

 

Most of the variations sounded like cutesy baby talk, and I was never into that.

[Hannah]

My DH and I grew up saying Grandma Last Name and Grandpa Last Name and that's what our kids do with our parents.

 

My grandparents are Dutch. They went by Oma and Opa Lastname (when we spoke of them, but just Oma when we addressed them).

 

My parents are Ouma and Oupa (Afrikaans) and my MIL and FIL are Granny and Grandpa.

[J-rap]

Since dd says that her future children will NOT refer to me as "Oh, exalted mother" :D, I'm shooting for "marmee" from Little Women because I don't like grandma, mimi, or nana. I'm very serious about this! :001_smile:

 

Faith

 

 

Oh, I love that for a nickname (Marmee)! I want to be called that, too!

 

I think part of the reason for so many nicknames is that our culture equates grandma with old which is equated with various negative feelings. (Instead of wise and respected, like some other cultures.) So, women want to stay away from the word "grandma."

 

My kids tease me that they're going to call me "Granny Janny" -- which I LOATHE! haha! It reminds of Granny in the Beverly Hillbillies. :)) (Although I did like her!)

 

My own mother is called "Honey" by all of her grandchildren. When her oldest grandson wanted her, he would call her "Honey" since that's what she called him. It stuck. :)

[KnitWit]

My dh's family is Dutch. He wants us to be Opa and Oma.

 

My mom is "Grandmother" and my dad is "Grandad". My nephew, the 7th grandchild of 10, couldn't say those words, so he called them "Nut" and "Dang". :lol::lol::lol::lol:

[BarbecueMom]

Well my mother strictly forbid us from coming up with a name for her. She insisted that my DS come up with his own name for her when he could talk I'm not sure what we called her until then but once he started talking he called her Gram and so it was and still is 3 grandchildren later.

 

My mom insisted on the same thing, and the boys started calling her "Pa". It stuck. She loves it, and DH has my mom listed in his phone as "The Pa". They call my FIL "grandpa", and we don't see my dad enough to come up with a name. Right now he's "the other grandpa".

[tabrizia]

My in-laws are Dahdi and Dahda because that is the traditional name for Dad's parents in Hindi, and since my FIL is from India it is what they wanted to be called.

 

My Mom is Nonnie because that is what she wanted to be called, we still had Grandma around when my oldest was born and it reminded her of her Grandmother. My Dad is Pom, because that is how DS pronounced Grandpa, it amused us, so he is Pom or Grandpom.

 

My Grandmother on my Mom's side is Mommom, my Grandfather was Poppop. My Grandparents on my Dad's side were Grandma and Grandpa. DH has Grammy, his Mom's Mom, and he had Dahdi on his Dad's side, he never knew either Grandfather.

 

Mine are so little that I haven't thought about what I want to be called when I become a grandparent, but I kind of like Mimi honestly or Mommom.

[In the Rain]

I agree that many kids have a passel of grandparents who need to be differentiated.

 

:iagree: That is the case here. Our kids had to come up with names for 7 grandparents and 7 great grandparents. (Most seen on a regular basis) :lol: That is an unexpected consequence of divorce. :tongue_smilie:

[sassenach]

My kids have a grandpa and grandma. They also have a memere, pepere, tita and grandad.

[TammyinTN]

We are Nana and Papa at our house. I love it!

[Isabella]

My kids call my parents Oma & Opa, and my grandparents(now deceased) were Old Oma & Old Opa. Dh's parents are Grandma & Grandad, and Dh's grandmother is Da (dh called her that when he was tiny, and it's stuck through to the next generation).

 

My dh wants to be called by his name - he knows an older man whose grandkids call him Bob or Grandad Bob. He thinks it's great!

 

My girls call me Lovey, and I've always loved Mama, so I think I'd love to be called Mama Lovey, or Mama Love!

[anoncalhan]

my boys when they were little couldn't keep the grandmas straight so we call one: Grandma Close (she lives a couple blocks away) and one Grandma Faraway. Not sure why they had issues remembering which was which lol.

[Lady Florida.]

my boys when they were little couldn't keep the grandmas straight so we call one: Grandma Close (she lives a couple blocks away) and one Grandma Faraway. Not sure why they had issues remembering which was which lol.

 

That's cute. :)

[Alphabetika]

I think it is because many children, due to medical interventions, have several grandmothers alive and so everybody needs a convenient title.

 

When dd came along, all four of her great-grandmothers were still alive and she was going to be coming into regular contact with them all during her learning to talk years. This gave her six grandmas and many times, three were in the room at once.

 

So, we had grandma (my mom), granny (dh's mom), grandmere (my paternal grandmother), grandmammy (my maternal grandmother), mimi (dh's paternal grandmother), and nana (dh's maternal grandmother).

 

Since dd says that her future children will NOT refer to me as "Oh, exalted mother" :D, I'm shooting for "marmee" from Little Women because I don't like grandma, mimi, or nana. I'm very serious about this! :001_smile:

 

Faith

 

I have a friend who is teaching her grandson to call her "Marmee." She's very serious about it, too!

[akmommy]

My Paternal grandparents were and forever will be Mama and Poppy. My oldest cousin had a speech impdediment and she could say these clearly. The names stuck.

 

My oldest took to calling my mom and stepdad Nana and Poppa on her own and they stuck. DHs mom is Crazy Grandma ( bet she had no idea this would stick when she gave herself the name years ago lol). The others are just Grandma/pa first name. My grandmother chose to be G.G. when she became a great grandmother. It gave the kids something to call her other then grandma but easier to say than great grandma.

[alisoncooks]

My girls call my parents Mama and Papa.

My MIL is Granny. FIL is Pop-Pop.

[GAPeachie]

Well... we had too many for everyone to be grandma and grandpa before it got confusing.

 

My mom wanted to be called Granny. My oldest called her Mae Mae. It stuck.

 

Dh's mom wanted to be called Meme and got her wish.

 

Dh's step mom chose Nana and got her wish.

 

Dh's grandma was Maw.

 

Dh's great grandma was always Granny. She didn't get a new name for the next generation to call her. She died suddenly when I was expecting #2.

 

For the grandpas we only have too. Pop pop (my step dad, technically ex step dad now) and Papa (DH's father.)

 

I want to be Nana or Grammie. :)

[Caroline]

My parents are Mimaugh and Bucko to my kids, Mamaugh and Bucko to my older sister's kids, and Mama and Gucko to my younger sister's kids. My oldest niece called my dad Bucko and it stuck. My younger sister's son changed it to Gucko when they lived with my parents as a combination of Bucko and Jack.

 

I have a friend whose parents are Grandzine and Big Daddy. I love that.

 

My DH's parents are Grandma and PaPaw. My late DFIL loved that my oldest called him Papaw.

[lynn]

In my family mom's mom is Oma and her dad was Opa or grandpa (he was not german and did not mind either one). We had one set of grandparents who were simple Grandma and Grandpa russell. My dad's parents were Nana and grandpa. My mom simply wanted grandma (we asked her about Oma but she said there could only be one), since the first born nephew could only say Pa that is what stuck with my dad and he does not mind. MIL died when oldest was 3 she went by Nana and and fil is grandpa. I hope I don't have to think about it for years and years and years and years but I will enjoy choosing a name when the time comes:D

[Mommyfaithe]

My mom and dad were Nanny and Pop-pop.

Dh's Mom was MeMe, Dad is Grandpa and Step-mom Grandma. My oldest always called Grandpa...Car-PA. No idea why...but she still calls him that:D

[Lisbeth]

I always figured it was a Baby Boomer thing. They will kick and fight to not be thought of as old. Trickling down to younger ones.

[JessReplanted]

How about when a grandparent chooses different names for different grandchildren?

 

When my son was born, my mom decided to go with Meme' (meh - mA).

This was my suggestion but she said she liked it. And then when my sister's daughter was born, she decided to call herself Grammy. So, my kids call her Meme and my niece calls her Grammy - and it has been like this for 8 years now!!

 

:confused:

 

Oh, and also, my father's wife (who is only 6 years older than me) didn't want to have a grandparent title at all. She wanted to be called "Mrs. (last name). I thought that was ridiculous, (since she is married to "Papa"), and so she went with "Grandma (first name)".