03.26.09, 10:30 AM 82 replies
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Thoughts on this: My mom is trying to come up with her "grandmother name" as her first grandchild (my db) is due soon. She is adamant she doesn't want to be Grand-something, Nana, Mimi, etc - we are of mixed background so there is no cultural name to use. She has decided she likes "Mumble", I have no idea why, but it just seems like a strange thing to call your grandmother. Now, I know a lot of dc's just come up with a name on their own, but it is usually somehow related to what the parents call the grandparent...

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03.26.09, 10:30 AM Flag ]
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  • Thoughts on this: My mom is trying to come up with her "grandmother name" as her first grandchild (my db) is due soon. She is adamant she doesn't want to be Grand-something, Nana, Mimi, etc - we are of mixed background so there is no cultural name to use. She has decided she likes "Mumble", I have no idea why, but it just seems like a strange thing to call your grandmother. Now, I know a lot of dc's just come up with a name on their own, but it is usually somehow related to what the parents call the grandparent...

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    03.26.09, 10:30 AM Flag ]
    • so irritating. there was recently a spate of articles about self absorbed baby boomers doing this. that generation just wont get overthemselves, will they?!

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      03.26.09, 10:31 AM Flag
      • op - my mom is actually not a baby boomer (just before, she's 65), and she's not self absorbed, just doesn't have a desire to be Grandma, and isn't the typical bake cookies and cuddle sort of person. I don't have a problem with that at all, personally, my grandmother was the same way when i was a kid, we have a fantastic relationship and I adore her.

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        03.26.09, 10:34 AM Flag
        • But she is a grandmother.

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          03.26.09, 10:56 AM Flag
          • yes, but that doesn't mean she has to be called "grandmother" or "grandma"

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            03.26.09, 10:57 AM Flag
            • I just went through this process with my parents and the whole thing was stupid and annoying.

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              03.26.09, 10:59 AM Flag
              • and what are they being called now?

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                03.26.09, 11:00 AM Flag
            • So the OR was trying to commiserate and give you some support, and you got all defensive on her ass. Why bother posting this on UB if you have no capacity to hear gently ribbing of your mother's ridiculousness about this? Just my opinion.

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              03.26.09, 11:01 AM Flag
              • op - I don't think the OR was getting my post at all - there's a difference between not wanting to be called grandma, and being self absorbed, that was my only point. My mom is great, very involved and lovely, but just wants a different name - and I agree it is somewhat ridiculous.

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                03.26.09, 11:03 AM Flag
          • I like her choice-and it is her choice. She sounds smart too, as ms and bs are among the earliest sounds usually generated by typically developing infants. Let your mom choose and get used to it when talking to your kid. Just remember to let your child hear you address your mother as you already do.

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            03.26.09, 12:26 PM Flag
      • OOOOOOOH. Can you remember where you saw this article?????? I need to send it to my father, STAT!

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        03.26.09, 10:55 AM Flag
      • here is one ofthe articles. sorry, but your mom is exhibit A. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123267094948408359.html

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        03.27.09, 06:20 AM Flag
      • here is the article to which i was referring. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123267094948408359.html

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        03.27.09, 06:21 AM Flag
    • Mumble is the most retarded name I've ever heard for a grandmother.

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      03.26.09, 10:35 AM Flag
      • op - ok, I absolutely agree it isn't great. I call my mother "Mum" (her mother is British) and she says she thought of it because my father, who is hard of hearing, tells her she mumbles all the time

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        03.26.09, 10:40 AM Flag
        • np: the hard part is not what dc's call her, but that you will forever after be referring to your mother as Mumble. What about just going with "Mum" since you'll be mommy?

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          03.26.09, 10:57 AM Flag
          • I've thought about mumsmum or mumum or something like that. Maybe if she really wants to go with Mumble I can get dc to shorten it to Mum?

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            03.26.09, 10:58 AM Flag
            • just keep calling her mum - until dc's talk, i don;t think she'll insist on YOU referring to her differently, maybe by then something else will come up. most dcs name their grandparents soemthing else anyway - my MIL has 2 different names bc that's what the difft grandkids came up w when they first learned to talk.

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              03.26.09, 11:05 AM Flag
              • thanks, that's pretty much what I'd figured on doing. A friend of her's just had her first grandchild and she's going around calling herself her new "grandmother name" so I guess its on mum's mind

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                03.26.09, 11:06 AM Flag
    • Mumble is great. Much cooler than what my MIL came up with.

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      03.26.09, 10:37 AM Flag
    • Why not -better than grandma, granny, grammy, etc

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      03.26.09, 10:38 AM Flag
    • My mom chose the first letter of her name as the name she would like to be called. A friend named Nancy chose for her grandkids to call her "Nan".

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      03.26.09, 10:38 AM Flag
      • my mom originally wanted to use her first letter, or it doubled, but her name begins with a J, and JJ just doesn't work (think va-jay-jay)

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        03.26.09, 10:40 AM Flag
    • how @ gram, nan or GM

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      03.26.09, 10:39 AM Flag
      • all too oldladyish for her

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        03.26.09, 10:41 AM Flag
        • ^^ oh, and GM, like the auto company?

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          03.26.09, 10:41 AM Flag
        • Why don't the GC just call her by her first name, since she wants to be so hip and modern and all?

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          03.26.09, 10:53 AM Flag
          • I brought up that option, but she wants a special name, just not Grandma

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            03.26.09, 10:54 AM Flag
            • ^^ my dad has kids from a previous marriage, and their children (his grandkids not hers) call her by her first name - she will now be a grandmother, so she wants a different name

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              03.26.09, 10:54 AM Flag
    • op - MIL's name is Mamoo, which is a bastardization of her name, and a French form of grandmother, but she is French

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      03.26.09, 10:42 AM Flag
      • I love that. Foreign names for grandmother are always a nice option.

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        03.26.09, 11:11 AM Flag
        • op - I agree, but as I said, we are mutts, so there isn't really a foreign name option that won't just sound bizarre

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          03.26.09, 11:13 AM Flag
      • my mom insists on being marainne --- the kids call her MARYANNE.

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        03.26.09, 11:53 AM Flag
    • I like the name "Ma'am" for a grandmother.

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      03.26.09, 10:43 AM Flag
      • lol - i actually suggested that to her, and her response "how about Madam" (she was joking)

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        03.26.09, 10:44 AM Flag
      • I have a friend whose FIL is "Sir" to her kids -- it's a family joke, he was a Latin teacher in a boarding school, and the kids are hilarious about it.

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        03.26.09, 11:04 AM Flag
    • I used to call my grandmother Gram Cracker. I also had a older relative we called Bopsie

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      03.26.09, 10:58 AM Flag
    • I have to say, I'm finding this thread mildly disturbing and not just a little bit irksome. A generation of children growing up, unable to call their damned Grandmother "Grandma", or "Gramma", or whatever, but rather having to say "Nancy", or "Mumbles" or some other ridiculous thing in order to meet the needs of their grandmother who apparently isn't facing this new transition well.

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      03.26.09, 11:08 AM Flag
      • np - seriously? most people I know in my generation call their grandparents a whole variety of things.

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        03.26.09, 11:09 AM Flag
        • Not me. Beyond Grandma, Mamah, Nana, Grammy, Gram etc. I don't know many at all. I'll admit that Muzzie and Gram Cracker and Bopsie are all adorable and retain the FEEL of a grandmother, but I don't think that's the reason many refuse it. They simply can't transition to being a Grand parent because it feels 'old'. And I find that sad and sort of transparent.

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          03.26.09, 11:25 AM Flag
          • I know (from friends growing up in the 70s) Gran-Gran, an Ooh-hoo, Nancy, Nana, Peta, Mimi and Charlie (yes, for a grandmother, her name was not Charlotte or Charlene, I think it was Rachel, actually).

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            03.26.09, 11:28 AM Flag
      • Please, it's a special name they have for their grandparents. I didn't call any of my grandparents grandma or grandpa. I was bit disappointed when dc was the 6th of 7 with ILs and the "grandma" "grandpa" titles had already been established.

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        03.27.09, 06:24 AM Flag
    • Sheisskopf, yeah... definitely Sheisskopf

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      03.26.09, 11:10 AM Flag
    • She;s overthinking. In our case my firstborn came up with a name and that's what stuck. She has no choice

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      03.26.09, 11:11 AM Flag
      • did it come from somewhere? usually comes from what parents refer to grandparent as, or something grandparent often says/does (i.e. my great-grandmother was called Ooo-hoo, because she used to come into the house and call "yoo-hoo", and my uncle just started using it)

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        03.26.09, 11:15 AM Flag
        • no. it's "ahma" and "ahpa". we of course may have said grandma and grandpa but clearly, now at age 7 with a little bro that is 4, they are called a made up name still

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          03.26.09, 11:17 AM Flag
          • Definitely sounds like it came from grandma and grandpa, but I love that you just went with the name db came up with (as opposed to my MIL who is constantly correcting ds when he calls her Gamma, because he has a hard time with r's and d's - he is 14months!)

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            03.26.09, 11:20 AM Flag
            • gamma is soooooooooooo cute!

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              03.26.09, 11:22 AM Flag
              • well, I agree, and at the moment it is one of about 5 words he'll say often (mama, dad - but sound more like bad, lol) ukley (which is the dog, sort of) and Go!

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                03.26.09, 11:24 AM Flag
            • you should start referring to your MIL as Gamma just to get under her skin

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              03.27.09, 10:10 AM Flag
    • Mumble is cute and unique! MY dd has a "grammy" and a "mimi" - blech. I applaud your mom wanting to be her own kind of grandparent. Can I ask why it bothers you? Of course I grew up with a "Muzzie" who I adore, so maybe I'm biased. Is it really a big deal? What someone calls you is pretty personal and I think she should have the right to determine it and "be" who she wants to her grandchildren.

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      03.26.09, 11:14 AM Flag
      • op- It doesn't really bother me, per se - I guess I think she's being 1) a little premature (db is due in the fall) and 2)maybe trying too hard to come up with something very unique

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        03.26.09, 11:17 AM Flag
        • ^^oh, and I love Muzzie!

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          03.26.09, 11:17 AM Flag
        • Oh, I get it now. Pretty early, you're right, but it's kind of cute that she's so excited. Now I keep thinking about what I would do if I could choose my own name rather than the one my parents gave me! :)

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          03.26.09, 11:23 AM Flag
          • lol - see, that's a good point! I'm glad she's excited too, and will be happy to let her pick the name she want to be called (as long as I don't absolutely hate it, I don't hate Mumble) - I also just wonder if a child will NEVER be able to say Mumble and will completely bastardize it to something else. Maybe Bumble?

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            03.26.09, 11:26 AM Flag
            • i agree, it's cute that she's getting into it. unique names usually come from what the dc can say - so it may not stick. my mil wants to be called nana, which is not even that unique, and no one remember to call her that so our ds doesn't.

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              03.26.09, 11:41 AM Flag
            • You know, I think Muzzie originated with a grandchild butchering something else and somehow arriving at Muzzie. But I was far from the 1st grandchild, so I don't know for sure. Let her try it and see what your child comes up with!

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              03.26.09, 11:47 AM Flag
      • That is so funny! my dd has a mimi and a grammy too-

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        03.26.09, 11:50 AM Flag
    • np: My mom (with whom I really don't get along) didn't want the usual names. She's of Irish descent, and my dad is of Polish descent. So, she chose the Polish word, "babcia" for grandmother. Except, she insists it's "Babka", so my kids call her by that, even though that's not the correct word, she's not even Polish, and it's the name of a pastry! Grrr...

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      03.26.09, 11:36 AM Flag
      • lol - but you have to admit it's kind of a cute name for a grandmother. Makes me think of grandmothers, anyway

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        03.26.09, 11:39 AM Flag
    • My mom said she would never be called 'grandma' that went out the minute my dd first looked at her. She's been a grandma ever since and never looks back.

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      03.26.09, 01:48 PM Flag
    • mumble is unique, cool and will be the topic of internal family fun. i think it's great.

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      03.27.09, 06:22 AM Flag
    • I like Mumble too! I'm expecting #1 and I wish my mother would use Gangey since she looks a LOT like Jessica Walters but amazingly she's not into it.

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      03.27.09, 07:45 AM Flag
    • Grew you with a friend who called her grandmother "Marmee" (from Little Women).

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      03.27.09, 09:59 AM Flag
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