Eleven days and counting…sometime between today and May 22, our first grandchild will come into the world.
My husband and I couldn’t be more excited. As we sit in a holding pattern in California waiting for the call, I am confronted with the “name game” again. No, not the one I spoke about in a previous column on what to call your mother-in-law. Now, it’s what should my new “grandma” name be and grandma isn’t in the running.
Let me explain. Several years ago, my son, my daughter-in-law and my husband were sitting around discussing grandparent names, just in case we ever got to use them. It was a hypothetical discussion because I had learned from my book “women in the know” research that asking when I was going to become a grandmother was a big no-no.
My husband threw out his pick for himself first, and everyone seemed happy with his choice. He’s going to be “Poppy,” and I assumed that I was going to be grandma, just like my grandma and all the other grandmas in my family’s history. I assumed wrong. My son immediately vetoed that name because he said it was a name for “older women.” I’m flattered, kind of, but at 57, I am “older.”
And now that we are in the home stretch for babydom, I am still struggling with whom I get to be in the name department. I believe that my daughter-in-law’s mom should get first pick of the name, and she has chosen hers. I’m wondering if my name will pop into somebody’s head, or maybe I will have to wait for an official name from my new grandson. But that means I’ll be officially nameless for quite a while.
So readers, if you have any suggestions, let’s hear them. Drop me a note at jangelich@gmail.com.
Talk to you soon.
Comments
Congratulations (in advance), Jane! You can pick your moniker but ... our experience has been to let the babies decide. For example, my daughter started calling my dad "papa" even though her cousins call him Grandpa. It doesn't seem to be confusing for anyone and it's cute for everyone when the kiddos come up with it themselves. Just my humble opinion!
Well two different suggestions from one situation, when I got pregnant with my son it was aready known that my father will be known as G-dad my dad has a son which is my half brother whom already had a little girl so his name was already chosen, but for my mom we thought for alittle bit because she is young in her 40's so we came up with grammie we thought it was cute and not "old" and would be easy to say. Well my son now 2 has given her a different name which is "Mimi" so I would find a name that you like but at the same time leave it up to your grandson to give you a name if he chooses, to let it be an option.
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