<p>No, we do not have any grandchildren on the way, but my husband and I were just talking about the different names kids call their grandparents. Who will decide on the name, you or the parents of the grandchild?</p>
<p>With my kids, my parents and I decided together what the kids would call them. It is funny as my brother’s kids just call them grandma and grandpa where as my kids call them Bubbie and Pa. My in laws are called the same name by all the grandchildren from 3 children; I think whatever name was decided on with the oldest grandchild just stuck. My sister in law spent months coming up with a name she would like that didn’t make her sound old!! She was 55 when her daughter had her first child.</p>
<p>Do you want to be called something young and hip, something old fashion or traditional, a play on your given name, or something out of the blue?</p>
<p>We’ve always used Grandma and Grandpa (or Gramma and Grampa) for our own grandparents, and for our parents after we had children. We had the first grandchild on both sides, and apparently set the trend. I would be content with that for my own grandchildren, as well. But I also like the German version, Oma and Opa (long O sound). Since all my kids speak German, and both H and I have German ancestors, it would fit and be a little more distinctive.</p>
<p>Sometimes, though, it seems this may never be an issue … <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>My mom didn’t care what my kids called her as long as it wasn’t “Granny.” She and dad are Grandma & Grandpa. My in-laws went with ethnic grandparent terms.</p>
<p>A distant relative didn’t want anything to do with Grandma, she made up a random word for her grandkids to call her. It’s nothing like her real name and bears no resemblance to grandma or granny or nana. I think that’s ridiculous. (I don’t want to say what it is in case someone recognizes it!)</p>
<p>We’ll probably be Grandma & Grandpa, unless a toddler comes up with something cute of their own and it sticks. My cousin’s daughter called her grandma “Meemo” for about 3 years, I thought it was so cute.</p>
<p>I hope I have about 10 years to figure this out.</p>
<p>I don’t like cutsie or random names. I like grandma and grandpa. We called my grandparents grandma or grandpa and their first name because we had two of each. My children did the same with their grandparents. But I will be so thrilled that I will accept whatever they call me and I hope to be under 55 when I get grandchildren.</p>
<p>Well…if it’s any consolation, we have one of those in our family also. The person chose the “name” because “grandma” or anything like that made her feel old.</p>
<p>I’ll go with whatever they want to call me. My two kids have always called our parents by Grandma+ first name. My brother’s D is older than my kids and she started that so we just sort of fell in line with it when ours came along.</p>
<p>I know a grandma who goes by Oma. Also have a friend who decided she wanted to be called Mimi. Another has her grandkids call her Mom! I asked if this wasn’t confusing for the kids to have two “moms” . Her answer was that the kids (who are preschoolers) call their mother “Mommy”. My reply was that I woud bet they won’t always call their Mom “mommy”</p>
<p>I would be fine with Grandma and Granddad (don’t know why my family went with the dad instead of pa). </p>
<p>Binx, neighbors of our are German. All their kids call their grandmother, Oma. The rest of the neighborhood kids and even the adults call this woman Oma now. Several neighbors did not even realize that Oma was not her first name, lol.</p>
<p>I’m a college student, but I have two nieces. My parents go by Grandma and Grandpa. My mom was so excited to be a grandmother that she didn’t care at all about seeming “old,” even though she was in her 40s when her first granddaughter was born. (When she was at Toys R Us buying some baby stuff for our house right after the first was born, the cashier asked my mom if the things were for her first child!) The kids’ mother isn’t from the US, so they learn another language before learning English. They sometimes use the words for Grandma and Grandpa in that language to refer to my parents, but in general they use the foreign words for their grandparents from that country.</p>
<p>corranged, I think I will be like your mom. I’m looking forward to someday having the grandchildren that I can love, spoil, brag on and be the “good guy” instead of the parent who has to inflict order and rules ;).</p>
<p>My sisters are called Grammy, Memom, YaYa, and Mom Mom. When I was little, my uncles called me Mims. I’m thinking about Mims for my grandmother name. What do you think?</p>
<p>For now, I’m going by Nana <first name=“”>. That may change on the next visit (opposite ends of the country) now that my grand-daughter is speaking in real, intelligible words and is reaching an age where she can make the name + face connection. When I talk to her on the phone, she doesn’t address me directly by name; just tries out all her new vocabulary. DH hasn’t settled on a name for himself yet.</first></p>
<p>(Did you notice that I got through that whole paragraph without mentioning that my GD is the most adorable, sweetest, cleverest, most charming, most intelligent, most even-tempered child ever born? Oh, and perfect? )</p>
<p>Mkm, being a grandparent is so much fun! It’s miraculous how wise we’ve become once our kids need advice on things like how to decide whether it’s serious enough to go to the doctor, the various ways to soothe crying, etc., etc. Once that grandchild appears, they hang on your every word.</p>
<p>We’re a several years away from this question, but I would imagine it’ll be plain vanilla Grandma and Grandpa. </p>
<p>My brother’s father-in-law didn’t want to be called grand anything by his only grandchild (my brother and sil’s son), so he insisted that he be called by his first name.</p>
<p>I just hope I still have some hearing left at that advanced age to know that those little darlin’s are addressing me. At this point it looks like decades away!</p>
<p>I’m imagining we’ll be grandma and grandad (my H’s family are grandad people, though I grew up with a grandpa). If necessary to delineate similarly named, it woudl be with first names (I grew up with last name grandmas, and it’s not nearly as friendly sounding as first name.)</p>
<p>Not there yet, but am remembering how we asked our own parents what they wanted to be called, and were surprised by all 4 answers (we were blessed that all lived so long). </p>
<p>My H’s parents, long called “granma and grampa” by their other grandchildren, fairly leaped at the chance of renaming themselves with the ethnic “Bubbe” and “Zayde” once given the chance to choose. Who knew?</p>
<p>My own mom went true to form and asked for a straightforward, “Grandma.” But my father<br>
stroked his beard and said, quietly, “Grandfather.” I was astonished. “What do you think we are, Dad, the Swiss Family Robinson?!” My H was more diplomatic, suggesting to him, “You know, it might take the baby a while to say all that.” He answered patiently, “I’ll wait.”</p>
<p>For a few years, our eldest-- his first grandson – called him “Fah-doo!” then “Ganfadoo” until finally everyone (including us) called him “Grand-Fahdoo,” a name my Dad really loved to hear.</p>
<p>It was easy and pleasant having 4 different names for the 4 different people.</p>
<p>For some reason, I called one grandmother- First Name(Becky) Grandma and the other Dog’s Name (Laddie) Grandma. My greatgrandmother was Bubbie Grandma which is a bit repetitive! When my much younger cousin were older, they wanted to know why she was Laddie Grandma; I think Laddie died when they were babies or before they were born. They had no clue who or what Laddie was!!</p>
<p>If I were to be called Grandma I would prefer it without my name attached; plain Grandma would sound better. My mother is Bubbie so I don’t want to be Bubbie but maybe my husband can be Zayde!! I have always like the name Zayde, much better than Bubbie.</p>
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