What to call "Grandma" and "Grandpa"

[Anonymous]

Please let me know if you think I am overreacting. My parents have six wonderful grandkids and are affectionately known as Grandma J and Papa. These names were given to them by the oldest grandchild, and the rest of the grandkids followed suit. However, my sister-in-law wants her kids to be able to call my parents whatever they choose - her son is a year and hasn't started talking yet. I think all the grandkids should refer to my parents by the same name. Am I being too pushy in thinking that?

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

It's common for grandchildren to call grandparents different things. No biggie. If you all keep calling them that around the baby then he or she will probably pick up on it too.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you're being pushy. I have a hard time believing that this could even concern anyone.

[Anonymous]

Yes. You're not the parent or the grandparent. What do you care, anyway?

[Anonymous]

Yes. Myob

[Anonymous]

Yeah. The rest of my cousins call my grandma "gaga". I just couldn't even as a kid I thought gaga was for babies. On the other side, my grandma gets called Grandma or Grandma Mary.

[Anonymous]

You are overreacting. In my large family, every set of grandchildren for the different families of my siblings have a different name for my mother and father. And no one gets confused! And they (my folks) love it!

[Anonymous]

Let it go.

This will work itself out.

If you don't like your SIL for other reasons, fine, but this isn't a big hill to die on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please let me know if you think I am overreacting. My parents have six wonderful grandkids and are affectionately known as Grandma J and Papa. These names were given to them by the oldest grandchild, and the rest of the grandkids followed suit. However, my sister-in-law wants her kids to be able to call my parents whatever they choose - her son is a year and hasn't started talking yet. I think all the grandkids should refer to my parents by the same name. Am I being too pushy in thinking that?

Yes. This is absolutely none of your business. I suspect that your nephew is going to end up calling your parents what all the other grandkids call them, but if not, who cares?

[Anonymous]

So you are neither the parent nor the grandparent in this scenario? Then you get no say.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are. You can't dictate what someone calls someone else. Who the hell died and made you god? NOBODY.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing that the oldest grandchild who "named" the grandparents is yours, right? SIL resents the fact that her kid might end up following the lead of yours, and you resent the fact that she wants to change your kid's tradition.

Good grief. Women!

[Anonymous]

I have my kids call the grandparents the same things, but beyond that, it's not my business if the other grandkids don't want to use the name my daughter bestowed on my FIL. She made it up when she was little and it stuck, for her. She's the eldest grandchild.

If your parents want to die on this hill, that's up to them, but it's really likely they will refer to themselves as what the other kids call them already to the new grandkid and he will hear what the others call them if he's around at the same times and will naturally call them the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth would you care?