What’s in a name? Well, if you’re talking book titles…a lot. Some of us have that special something when it comes to titling our books and well, some of us don’t. I fall in the don’t category, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Eventually, my editors are going to run out of nice ways to say, “That title sucks dirty sweat socks.”
Luckily for the reading world at large, I’m perfectly happy to have my editors do their titling magic on my books. However, I’ve had the privilege of coming up with some pretty important names, if not on my own – at least with lots of my influence. For instance, our children…though if you could have heard my grandmother after we named our son, you would have thought his name sucked dirty sweat socks. It doesn’t. It’s fabulous. It’s his. He likes it, which for a teenager is no small thing, you know?
But recently, I had to come up with another name – what my grandchildren would call me. I always sort of assumed it would be Grandma, but my mom is Grandma and I kind of like how my m-i-l gets called Banoi by my kids (Vietnamese for grandma on the dad’s side of the family). Since our oldest daughter is expecting her first child and our first grandchild this summer, the name thing became important.
I opted for the Italian word for Grandmother because I just love it. Nonna. My husband is taking on his deceased grandfather’s title (Pops), one of the most influential people during his growing years and a very special man who dh loved very much.
What’s in a name? For me…for dh…maybe a little bit of history, maybe more than a little emotion and definitely a sense of rightness. When it is right.
So, what did you call your grandparents and what do your kids (if you have any) call theirs?
Grandma and Tammy. So, I guess congrats are in order!!!
I know you can’t wait for that grandbaby!!
Nonna is what I want to be called, too! As a sort of tribute to the Italian grandparents I never knew.
Both sets were Italian immigrants and died before I ever got to meet them.
It was strange growing up in the South without grandparents. I was an anomaly.
My mom and dad were Gramma and Granpap for the short time my boys had them.
My DHs parents are Granny and Grandaddy.
We had a cousin whose daughter called her grandparents Nana and Good-daddy, which I thought was really sweet!
Thanks, Pat!
I like all those titles/names, Angie-LA. I *am* so excited.
Hugs,
Lucy
My grandparents were gone by the time I was born. My kids called their grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. My grandchildren call me Grandma and my husband Poppa.
I called my Mom’s mother Nana. Since she passed before I was married and had kids, my children called my mother Nana. (She passed a few years ago.) My father is called Papa by my children and my Out-Laws (In-Laws) are Grandma and Grandpa.
I know you can’t wait to hold that new baby, Nonna! *G*
I call my mom’s mother Paw Paw, which is Chinese for maternal grandmother.
Congrats, Lucy! We addressed our grandparents in Chinese–Poh Poh and Gong Gong for my mother’s parents, and Ngin Ngin and Yeh Yeh for my father’s. It’s a smidge different in Taiwanese, so while my kids call my parents Poh Poh and Gong Gong, they call my husband’s parents A-Ma and A-Gong.
You know that you’ll be loved no matter what name your grandkids call you!
There’s just something about sharing stuff like this. The real stuff about life.
Thank you!
And Fedora – you are so right!
Hugs to all.
My kids always called their grandparents grandma and grandpa, so did I but we used to call one Frankstown grandma (the road she lived on roflmao) and the other honey grandma (nickname). I aways thought it was so unfair that one got a nicer name!
LOL on Frankstown Grandma. When my grandmother was alive the kids called her Grandma Okey-Dokey (because she said it almost every time she got up) and my mom Grandma Good-guy. Oh, the memories!
Hugs,
Lucy
Names are important – I like mine, but my sister doesn’t like hers. I’ve been having a lot of conversations about names recently, but mostly for kids. And the unfortunate names famous people are giving theirs. Denim? Story? Rumor? Kydd? The list goes on.
As to grandparents… I actually never called any of mine anything. I never met a single one. All but one predeceased me – and the last one, I never met because he died when I was in first grade – and lived in Taiwan.
Limecello…names *are* important and yeah, sometimes you wonder what people are thinking when they name their kids. But then my mom wanted to name my oldest sister September Dawn. Sounds pretty but she’d have been teased unmercifully in school.
I never met my grandparents on my Dad’s side because they were deceased. But on my Mom’s side – Grandma was Oma and Grandpa was Opa – when I was very little and went to visit them. They both were deceased later so never really got to get to know them.
My own grandchildren – call me Grandma. And they refer to my Mom – their Great Grandma as little Grandma……as for their Great Grandfather they just call him Grandpa – since they never knew their real grandfather because he was deceased before they were born. My own kids have always called my Mom and Dad as Grandma and Grandpa, and never got to know the grandparents on their Dad’s side as they had both passed on before they were old enough to remember them.
As for names I hated my name when I was growing up because no one could say it properly and in school when teachers at the first of the year said it they called upon me for answers because they could remember a face and name. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned to like my name – and even though I get many variations as to how it is said – I like my name and am comfortable with it……….
So you do learn things as you get older…….. 
So…how *do* you pronounce your name, Cryna?
Hi Lucy
It is said phonically like it is spelt:
Cry….Na
But you would be surprised at how I get cynthia, cereena, cindy and a lot of variations.
My mom decided to let the first born decide, and he came out with Granny so that’s what they all call her. My dad wanted to be called Papa because that’s what he called his granddad. My MIL wanted Grandmother and my FIL wanted Grandaddy. It all worked out for us. I called my maternal grandmother “Bigmama” because my cousin, who is lots older than me, started that when she was little. I wish she was still alive – I really miss her.
I would have mispronounced your name Cryna – I was thinking the short vowel (crin a). I’m a jeanne and get jean a lot because they think it’s a nickname which it isn’t and everyone puts an i in it. I named my daughters April (easy) and Alysa (always misspelled because it’s not the normal spelling and also mispronounced – she gets everything). But both girls like their names. My husband and I made a deal – I got to name the girls and he got to name the boys – he only wanted 2 kids so that’s what he gets – of course he wasn’t against the names).
Oh, wow…I’m so relieved I was saying it right in my head every time I read it. LOL
Lisa…neat! I miss my grandmother too, but I know my own children will miss my mom even more as she’s such a warm part of their life.
LOL on the naming bargain, Catslady. I’ve heard of people doing that. It would never have occured to dh and I – we named both children together with complete agreement. Sometimes I wonder about us. LOL