What is the deal with grandparents being called names other than grandma and grandpa?

[Anonymous]

PP here -- RE daddymama. In the maybe 18 months or so they've had to decide on basically any grandparent name they would like to have, the only one MIL came up with was "daddymama." She explained it: you know, like babydaddy, except I'm her daddy's mama, so I'll be daddymama. DH shot that down because he felt it sounded vaguely racist / classist and obviously dumb. At this point, I don't really care what they call themselves. They're actually pretty cool grandparents, apart from this name issue, but it's become a sticking point for all of us, especially as they won't pick something but will NOT accept anything we try to suggest, nor will they allow us to call them grandma, etc. They also at one point said to just use their first names, which we were reluctantly going to do, but then they changed their minds about that (understandable).

Anyway, there's the story. Not gracious...

[Anonymous]

Daddymama PP--your situation sucks. I'm sorry. I would say at this point you must just pick something and stick to it. I would suggest just going by their first names. If they are so averse to variations of Grandma and they couldn't come up with something creative or cutesie in 18 months, they have forefitted their say in this. Just go with their first names and be done with it. That's what you call them afterall, right?

Maybe stick a "ma" or "pa" on the end or beginning of their names, like "Alice-ma" or "Jane-ma" depending on how that sounds with their first names. Or for FIL, it would be "Bill-pa", "John-pa" or whatever. I personally find this too gimmicky, but your running out of options and this might be something that pleases everyone or at least doesn't offend anyone.

[Anonymous]

PS, "daddymama" is hands down the most rediculous thing I've ever heard.

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop are regional? I had never head of them before as grandparent names until I met Dh, who is from MD.

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with Pop Pop? Or Nana? Why do people care what other people call grandparents?

[Anonymous]

The worst is an egotistical SOB who insists everyone calls him Doctor "Bob". When he had grand kids he insisted that they call him Grand Doc.

[Anonymous]

Now.wasn't there a formula for this: your first pets name and the street you grew up on....or something like that. Double Parks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop are regional? I had never head of them before as grandparent names until I met Dh, who is from MD.

I thought that these, like Mee-maw and Papaw, were poor Southern things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, seriously, of all things to get annoyed about, is this one really worth so much thought? There are so many other things to worry about then what other people call their grandparents. Double sheesh.

triple sheesh for posting this... Yes, there is cancer and hunger in the world we could be posting about. It's still annoying that your in laws want to be called, "mee mee" and "tigger."

I know lots of people who call their grandmother "Mimi" (including me) and find it bizarre that you think it's so outlandish. I've always though grandma/grandpa sounded prissy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here -- RE daddymama. In the maybe 18 months or so they've had to decide on basically any grandparent name they would like to have, the only one MIL came up with was "daddymama." She explained it: you know, like babydaddy, except I'm her daddy's mama, so I'll be daddymama. DH shot that down because he felt it sounded vaguely racist / classist and obviously dumb. At this point, I don't really care what they call themselves. They're actually pretty cool grandparents, apart from this name issue, but it's become a sticking point for all of us, especially as they won't pick something but will NOT accept anything we try to suggest, nor will they allow us to call them grandma, etc. They also at one point said to just use their first names, which we were reluctantly going to do, but then they changed their minds about that (understandable).

Anyway, there's the story. Not gracious...

I think the solution is very simple at this point: they need a name, and it's either the first name or Mr./Mrs. Last Name. Seriously, you have to be able to refer to them as something when you talk to your kid.

[Anonymous]

My DC is 13 months and has one grandma (my mother), possibly one grandpa (my father wasn't sure about being a grandparent but that's what we call him), and two "whatever he wants to call us." I have to refer to my ILs as something so I am pushing for something other than grandma and grandpa.

My mother wanted to be called what she called her grandmother. I think that's pretty common.

[Anonymous]

I can totally relate to this thread as my in laws also want my daughter to call them by ridiculous names. Gammi and Pappi. First of all, "Gammi" is actually "Pappi's" wife and not actually the grandmother so I refuse to have my daughter call her such a stupid name. Not to mention it makes it seem as though my daughter cannot pronounce Grandma when clearly she can. My mother in law wants to be called Ne Ne which is what my first niece called her because she couldn't pronounce my MIL's name, Aneila. The bottom line is that I am not going to teach my child to call their Grandparents by names that don''t make sense. Grandma and Grandpa is just fine in my book. That's what they are so why are we making these cutesy names?!

[Anonymous]

I've asked my parents and the in-laws to call my child "son number one." If we have additional children, they too will be properly named. Calling him by some silly, made-up name that we would choose for him is just ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've asked my parents and the in-laws to call my child "son number one." If we have additional children, they too will be properly named. Calling him by some silly, made-up name that we would choose for him is just ridiculous.

wow that is so clever.

[Anonymous]

end of discussion. can we move on already?