My mom and dad are known to our kids as Nanny and Poppa – a request from my mom to use loving Irish titles. (Other variations: Nana, Papa, Nan…)
On the other hand, my husband’s parents are known to our kids as Grandma Olga and Grandpa Dan. Why the need to use their actual first names in the title, I have no idea. Except that Paul and I are the ones who instilled those names – did we think our first born couldn’t decipher who we meant when we said “Grandma” and “Grandpa” even though we called my parents Nanny and Poppa, completely different names? Who knows. Anyway, the names stuck. (I discussed this with my sisters-in-law, and their kids also use Grandma Olga and Grandpa Dan, but mostly only when referring to them. Directly, the kids call them Grandma and Grandpa.)
We have several friends who use the loving German titles of Oma and Opa.
Another friend calls (called… rest in peace, Grandaddy) her grandpa Granddaddy – a great mix of formal and informal.
And then there’s the best title yet, I think: Grand. My friend’s mom was only 44 when she became a grandma and couldn’t stand the thought of being a grandma never mind being called “Grandma.” So she titled herself “Grand.” Grand is the coolest grandma’s name ever. (Her husband is known to the kids as Dadoo (courtesy of the cartoon The Anamaniacs) — which is in a league all it’s own!)
What cherished names do you and your kids call your grandparents?
