Mawmaw and pawpaw are also very common where I'm from. If you don't like it, just tell her. It is very odd that she'd switch things up for this one grandchild. However, it isn't pronounced like momma. It rhymes with paw.
Chances are your child will say whatever they can pronounce at some point and it will stick. My niece started calling my mom Bobo and that's what stuck.
With my niece, my mom said "grandma" was fine, but my niece ended up saying "Nee-Maw" and now my mom is Nee-Maw!
My daughter now has 3 grandfathers and 2 grandmothers, from when she was born, she distinguished my parents and her dad's parents differently, and then when added more grandparents when I married my husband (this baby's father). Both grandmothers (mine and my ex's mothers) were grandma, and my husband's mom became Grandma B. (Related to our last name) but the grandfathers names are grandpa (her dad's father) papa (my dad) and grandpa B (for my husband's dad). I like the idea that she knows where we are going by the names we say, but none are close to momma
I totally understand where you're coming from! I live in ND and the whole "mawmaw/pawpaw" thing is not common up here at all. I think in the southern states, people with a southern drawl can pull it off and make it work but us Mid-westerners can't pull off the southern drawl no matter how hard we try! lol My mom became a grandma at 47 years old and she's preferred from the beginning to be called "Grandma" (she signs cards "Gramma"). Unfortunately my dad and my husband's parents are deceased but if they were still here, I'm sure they'd all be called "Grandma/Grandpa". My mom has 6 grandchildren now and they all call her grandma. My son is the oldest and will sometimes call her "G-ma" or "Grams" but she's totally fine with that and so am I, as long as it's nothing that sounds remotely close to mom or momma.
It's funny how grandmothers get so into this naming thing! Unfortunately on my SO's side of the family I think the grandma names of Noni (grandma) and Gigi (great grandma) are going to be continued with our kids since the other grand kids already call them that. It's not my favorite, but it is what it is. My mom keeps coming up with ideas of what she wants to be called, but has been around enough kids to know they kinda come up with their own thing. My dad REALLY wants to be Papa and he will be Papa. I have never heard of the Mawma thing before. It must be certain areas that it's popular. I can understand not wanting a name for grandma that even closely sounds like mama.
Lurking - but I can't imagine this being my hill to die on. Just remember that one day you might be a MIL and hopefully a grandmother as well. You might like some say as to what you are being called, by those who are important to you, and for a significant portion of your life.
My FIL wanted to be called by his first name. Nope. Not doing that. So, I always referred to him as grandpa. Not when he was around, just when talking about him to them. Grandpa stuck. It wad easier to just put it in my son's mind as grandpa then to tell ny FIL how odd it would be to call him by his name.
Yup nope, grandma is grandma where I am from and it's an HONOR to be called grandma/grandpa. I don't know why people are so hell bent on having cutesy names to be called. If your child decides to call grandma nana or nanny, that's fine. But to insist to be called something that sounds close to mom or momma/mama ... Nah uh (shakes finger).
I find this topic so fascinating - my parents and in laws debated who they wanted to be, as well. The kids ultimately decide. My sister's kids call our dad "Guh" and it drives me NUTS! I never referred to him that way and my daughter calls him Grandpa. He doesn't honestly care, because he is the favorite grandparent on either side of all the kids, lol.
While I was growing up my grandparents were "Nanny and Pa" - we called my mom's mom "Nanny Mom" because my sister heard my mom refer to her as "mom" so frequently she thought it was her name. My dad's mom was also known as Beads because that's what my oldest cousin called her. It's just so interesting how these names come about!!
I think it's odd that she just signed it and never spoke to you first? My moms been thinking of what she wants to be called since the day I told her I was pregnant. I think she may have mistakenly misspelled it though, but who knows. Honestly though why would she have other grandkids call her grandma and then change it for this child? There's going to be confusion
My thoughts exactly! Lol. It doesn't make sense? Maybe she misspelled it?? I'm hoping that's the case. I didn't think of that in all the annoying feelings that we're going on.
I think you are being a little mean, she just wants to be part of your child's life. I don't think it's wrong to want to be called something special, maybe you could suggest another alternative to make her still feel like she had a say in it. She probably just wants to be an important part of her sons growing family.
I don't feel I'm being mean. She can have ANY OTHER NAME that doesn't sound like Momma!!
Lurking - but I can't imagine this being my hill to die on. Just remember that one day you might be a MIL and hopefully a grandmother as well. You might like some say as to what you are being called, by those who are important to you, and for a significant portion of your life.
If I wanted a hill to die on, it would have been when she tried to ruin our wedding nonstop! LOL I very politely, after months of agony during our engagement, told her to shape up or ship out. The drama stopped, but it's never going to be a 'great relationship'. I show up, I try, but I won't kiss her bum. Some days she tried, other days she's horrible. I never know what I'm going to get. I guess I might be realizing I would feel different about it if she wasn't so horrible to me most of the time. But I want no nickname for her that sounds like Momma or Mommy.
I find this topic so fascinating - my parents and in laws debated who they wanted to be, as well. The kids ultimately decide. My sister's kids call our dad "Guh" and it drives me NUTS! I never referred to him that way and my daughter calls him Grandpa. He doesn't honestly care, because he is the favorite grandparent on either side of all the kids, lol.
While I was growing up my grandparents were "Nanny and Pa" - we called my mom's mom "Nanny Mom" because my sister heard my mom refer to her as "mom" so frequently she thought it was her name. My dad's mom was also known as Beads because that's what my oldest cousin called her. It's just so interesting how these names come about!!
It really is a little bazaar to be experiencing because, while I was growing up, all my friends and my grandparents were ONLY called Grandma and Grandpa 'insert last name' !!! Now all the sudden, being called that is embarrassing?! I think aging is a privilege, not a curse! I can't wait to be Grandma or Granny down the road. It's all I have ever known. I'm not from the Southern states.
Most grandparents I know are called something other than Grandma and Grandpa. It's usually Nana and Papa or Meemaw/Mawmaw etc. I do think that the grandparents to be should have some kind of day and feel comfortable with what they are to be called.
Most grandparents I know are called something other than Grandma and Grandpa. It's usually Nana and Papa or Meemaw/Mawmaw etc. I do think that the grandparents to be should have some kind of day and feel comfortable with what they are to be called.
I agree she should be comfortable, BUT so should I.
Most grandparents I know are called something other than Grandma and Grandpa. It's usually Nana and Papa or Meemaw/Mawmaw etc. I do think that the grandparents to be should have some kind of day and feel comfortable with what they are to be called.
I agree she should be comfortable, BUT so should I.
And she is already 'grandma' to the other grandkids, so I think it's completely reasonable to want her to keep the same name. If this was the first grandchild, I might lean a little more towards letting MIL having a say, but she already chose!
Re: MIL just let her 'grandma' nickname be known...
While I was growing up my grandparents were "Nanny and Pa" - we called my mom's mom "Nanny Mom" because my sister heard my mom refer to her as "mom" so frequently she thought it was her name. My dad's mom was also known as Beads because that's what my oldest cousin called her. It's just so interesting how these names come about!!