Meemaw and Pawpaw? Grandma and Grandpa? Grandpa Bubba and Betty? Joe and Sally? Or how about the beloved “G-MAMA” that the infamous McKenzie from Toddlers and Tiaras uses to address her maternal grandmother?
Suffice it to say, deciding “what to call the grandparents” can be almost as difficult as choosing a name for your child. And today’s modern family structure doesn’t make this choice any easier. Many kids grow up with several sets of grandparents due to marriage and divorce, and obviously, calling all of them Grandma and Grandpa can be confusing for everyone involved. Combine that with the fact that many grandparents don’t want to be labeled simply as Grandma and Grandpa and have their own ideas about what their grandchild should call them, and you can find yourself in a quandary when deciding what your children should call their grandparents.
For many people, Grandma and Grandpa are “named” prior to your child’s birth. When you announce a pregnancy, you automatically turn the matriarchs and patriarchs in your family into grandparents. Then suddenly, your mother might explain that, since she is “too young” to be referred to as Grandma, she will be called Aunt Laura. (Nice try, Mom!) Or your father might start talking to your belly, referring to himself as Big Pop or Big Daddy. And suddenly, out of thin air, you have a name. This same scenario will play out with all the people involved in your child’s life.
So, your child is born, and they are automatically introduced to their grandparents by name. As the child grows and begins to form their first words, a hysterical twist on what grandparents are called can come into play. The beloved Big Pop or Grandpa phrase can quickly transform into something like Bubba, Mimi, or MooMoo—not because the child thinks their grandparent resembles a cow, but because it’s the only way they can say the word.
The Role of Grandparent Names in Family Relationships
According to sociologists and child development experts, using specific names for grandparents is encouraged to foster relationships, especially when children are young and especially when children are introduced to numerous sets of grandparents. Around the age of 2 or 3, children will begin questioning these relationships and figuring out which grandparent belongs to which parent. Establishing names early on in your child’s life can make this quest much less confusing. This is why it is encouraged to come up with individualized versions of the names used for grandparents.
One word of caution: avoid referring to grandparents with names that resemble those of the parents. Even when young children refer to their grandmother or grandfather as Mom or Dad, experts advise that it should be corrected. Today, since many children are regularly cared for by their grandparents, it is common for young children to confuse their grandparents with their parents. Establishing labels that help children understand familial relationships is important. And for numerous reasons, grandparents should never encourage children to call them “Mommy” or “Daddy.”
Perhaps one of the cutest things about grandparent names is that the children involved will often decide for themselves what to call their grandparents. As mentioned above, this may stem from an inability to pronounce certain words, resulting in a humorous grandparent name. Or a child might simply start calling one of their grandparents a funny or cute name that sticks as they grow. Often, the grandparents are named by the first grandchildren to be born, and subsequent children simply follow suit.
If you have a lot of grandparents in your child’s life, count your blessings. And if you’re running out of ideas for what to call them all, consider some of these options. The first idea is to celebrate family heritage. If your side of the family has German roots, refer to the grandmother as Oma. Or, if you have Spanish roots, call her Abuela. Grandfathers could be called Opa or Abuelo. Another idea is to use variations of the first names, for instance, Grandpa Jo. You could also use the same names for your children’s grandparents as you used for your own, which is often a touching tribute.
Obviously, what to call the grandparents is a big enough issue that a book has been written to help. If you’re completely stumped for a name, check out some ideas from Wellford and Skye Pifer’s new book, The New Grandparents Name List: A Lighthearted Guide to Picking the Perfect Name, available at Amazon Books.
This first list shows the most common and traditional grandmother names:
| Bamaw, Bammaw Big Mama Bubbie DaMa Dama, Dammaw Eema, Eemaw, Ema G Gada GadGee, Gadgi Gadgy GaMa, Gamma Gammi, Gammy, Gami Ganna Ganni, Ganny, Gani GanGan G-ma Gommie, Gommy Gram Gramma, Grama Grammie, Grammy Gramommie Grams Granana Grananny Grandama Grandgran Grandma Grandmom Grandmother Grandnan Granma Granmama Granmom Granna Granny Gumma Jamma Mamaw, Mamey | Mammaw Mammy Mams Marmi, Marme MawMaw MayMay Maymee MeMa, Meema MeMaw, Mimaw MeMo, MeeMo Mimo MeeMee, MeMe, MiMi Mima Mimma Mimmy Mimsy Minny MoMa, MoMaw, MoMo MomMom Momsy Mum, Mums Mumsy, Mumsey Nama, Namma Nan Nana, Nanna Nanny Ne-ma NeNe, NiNi Ninna Ninny, Ninni Nona, Nonna Noni, NoNi, NoNee Nonni, Nonny Ona, Onna |
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This second list shows some of the more traditional grandfather names you could choose:
| Banfy Banpa Banpy Bappa Bappy Beebaw BoBo BooBoo, Boo Boompa Boppa, Bop Da Da Pa DaPaw Drampa Drampaw G Gampa Gamps Gampy Ganpa G-pa Gram Grampa, Grampaw Gramps Grampy Gran Grand Granda Grandad | Grandaddy Grandiddy Grandgramp Grandpappy Granpap Granpappy Granpop Granpoppa Gumpa Gumpy Gwampa Pa Pampa, PamPaw, Pap PaPa PapPap Papps Pappy PawPaw PawPee PeePaw Pop Poppa PopPop Poppy, Popi Pops Popsi |
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The bottom line: It probably doesn’t matter what you call the grandparents as long as you CALL them! In the long run, no matter what word your child uses to address their grandparents, it will translate into love!
