Monday, September 17, 2012

Granny.




This past February, my husband and I were sitting in a restaurant in Vegas enjoying a lunch.
Sitting across the table from us were our future granddaughter's paternal grandparents.
We were here in this restaurant not just to have lunch but to meet them.  For the first time.
Of course, there was the awkward small talk that occurs at a first time meeting.
In these circumstances, it was especially awkward.
Our unmarried children were having a child.
I know.  It's not an unusual event these days.
But for two sets of very traditional parents it, well, takes some getting used to.  
Anyways, at some point in the conversation, my fellow future grandmother asks me the following:
"What are you going to be called?"
Huh????????
Actually, in all honesty, this was not the first time I was asked this question.
When I told friends that I was going to be a grandma I was repeatedly asked the question of how my grandchild was going to address me.
Apparently, in the years since my parents became grandparents things have changed.
When I had my children, my parents became "grandma" and "grandpa", and my husband's parents were "grandma" and "grandpa".   It was that simple.
Nowadays, however, grandparents can pick their own designated title.....kind of like how the parents pick the child's name.  
There are even web sites dedicated to this practice.
 I found one web site called "Choosing Your Grandmother Name", and I found the following list of choices:

Big Mom (Absolutely not!)
Grams (This might work)
Mamo (Squished ta-tas! No, thank you!)
Maw Maw (Reminds me of those creepy talking dolls.)
Mema
Nana (I learned at lunch that this was already taken.)
Nanny
Bebe (A little French? Hmmmm.....)
Gigi
Mimi (Seeing a pattern here.....)
G-Ma (My husband's personal favorite)

I was just ready to throw it all in and use the old standby of "Grandma".....simple and timeless.
But then I thought about Lily at about age 3.  
About the time when she might have difficulty pronouncing such sounds as the letter "r".  
I envisioned a cute little girl beckoning her "gwanny" and I knew what my "grandmother name" needed to be.
I would be "granny".
Yeah, for all us old folks, it conjures up images of Granny Clampett with her little wire-rimmed glasses and hillbilly attire not to mention her feistiness (this I can relate to!).
But I don't care......Granny it is!
And should anyone really be surprised given my penchant for the good old fashioned granny square???


















Yep...."Granny" is the perfect name for me.  



3 comments:

Pammy Sue said...

I feel ya, sister! I was in the exact same position before my granddaughter was born, my son being the father. Awkward...

Your picture is beautiful. I wish I took good pictures like that! What a pretty Granny.

My name is "Peepers," by the way. My name starts with a "P" and I figured Peepers would be fun for a little kid to say and learn. Maybe she'll say my name first! :)

I looked up the Red Rock (on the cup in your previous post about going to Las Vegas). What a fun looking place! Hope ya'll had a good time and came back all stress-free.

Lisa@GrandmasBriefs said...

I think Granny is perfect. One of my favorite people in the world is known by Granny, my mother in law.

I wanted to be G-ma. My daughter wanted her kids to call my Grammy. My first grandson had his own plan and I've now been "Grandma" for several years. I love it and couldn't imagine being anything else.

#167 Dad said...

You don't look like a Granny. I tried to get my 1st grandbaby to call me Batman. Somehow she called me Crapaw. So I'm Crapaw to her. Granny is better tan Crapaw...