Both Ann Bowe (married to Pop Bowe) and Lisa Ellis (whose hubby is Papa) are Mimi to their grands. In addition to Gaga, another frequently requested name for grandmothers is Mimi. “Grandma sounded too formal and difficult to pronounce in the early years,” she says, “and Gaga sounds good together with Papa, my husband’s name.” “I was referred to as Grandma and my kids called me Grandma,” she says, “but Gaga was his interpretation of Grandma and it works for me.” Interestingly enough, Gaga is a not unpopular alternative choice Diane Levy asked for it. Randi Mogil thought her grandson Kaiden would call her Grandma, but he had other ideas. “That stuck, and so now that's what we all call him.” Bob Wise wanted to be called Grandpa, but Savannah, his first grandchild, couldn't say that when she started to talk and it came out as Pip, explains his wife Alison (Grammy). Others start out asking to be called Grandma and Grandpa - but their grandkids, in their efforts to pronounce those difficult words, often mangle them to cute effect and come up with new names that end up sticking. Grandparents Are Over Your Weird Baby Names “I always thought it sounded lovely and Grandma was just too boring to me.”
“I asked to be called Granny with a slightly British accent - ‘ Grahhny’ - modeled after Mary’s term for Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey,” she says. Some, like Ellen Harmon, give the traditional a little theatrical twist. “As we hear those little voices calling out to us, we sometimes think of our grandparents, and the happiness they brought into our lives and hope we are doing the same.” “We loved our grandparents, who were called this, and it’s often a reminder to us of them,” explains Anne. Klausner, “and relish the tradition of transitioning into this new phase of life.”Īnne and Art McGivern chose Grandma and Grandpa for their nine grandkids for this reason. “There are some individuals who cherish memories of grandparents who they felt exceptionally close to,” says Dr. To be sure, many still opt for the traditional Grandma and Grandpa (and their close cousins, Grammy, Gramsie, Nana, or Grampy, Papa, Poppy, Pop Pop, and so on). “That, coupled with a greater incidence of step and blended families,” she adds, “means that names have to differentiate between the generations and different extended families.” Klausner says, there may still be great-grandparents alive. “They think of themselves as organizing and running marathons and associate those traditional monikers with a more sedentary lifestyle - the older relative in a rocking chair - that is not their own.”Īnd because of increased longevity, Dr. Klausner, a clinical psychologist in the New York area who focuses on the psychological issues specific to older adults. “Many baby boomers have a hard time reconciling their vibrant, vital and active selves with the traditional names - they don’t fit their self-image,” says Dr. There appears to be more flexibility today in what grandparents are called, according to Ellen J. While some used terms of endearments like Nona or Bubbe or Oma, for the most part there was little variation among the previous generation - almost everyone we knew used a word that, in some language, meant "grandmother" and "grandfather."īaby boomers, on the other hand, are not “one size fits all” and are more influenced by one’s culture, religion, traditions, family names, inside jokes and whims. Similarly, my kids called their only set of living grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. Growing up, in my family we called our grandmothers Grandma Rose and Grandma Bessie, to distinguish between the two our only living grandfather was simply Grandpa.
Even while embracing their grandparent status, the baby boomer generation is coming up with new nicknames for Grandma and names for Grandpa. For many of today’s active grandparents - who feel anything but old and stodgy - the terms Grandma and Grandpa have the decidedly unhip whiff of talcum powder, blue hair rinse and dentures. But being called “Grandma" and "Grandpa?” Maybe not for everybody. Just about everyone adores having grandchildren.
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