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December 2011 Moms
Happily Overwhelmed
member
Speaking of the Grandparents...
Happily Overwhelmed
member
I'm sure we've touched on this in the past few months but...what will you refer to the grandparents as?
This will be DH's parent's first grandchild. I'm assuming they'll want to be called Grandma and Grandpa (even though we should ask).
For my parents my brother already has 2 daughters. They call my parents Grandma and Grandpa (fill in last name) and my SIL's parents Grandma and Grandpa (fill in the last name). It seems so...formal. lol.
My mom has always wanted to be called Grannie (she thinks it's cute). I don't think my father cares what he is called.
Do you think it's dumb for cousins to refer to the same grandparents with different names?
What will your child's grandparents be called? Is this something you ask about or just go with the flow with?
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Re: Speaking of the Grandparents...
DD was the first grandchild on both sides so the "naming" was up to us I guess. DHs parents just went with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom wanted to be called Grammie, I guess that's what they called her favorite grandparent growing up. So my dad decided that he wanted to be called something different too. He picked Papa because "that's what DD will be able to say next after Mama and Dada!"
It's nice to have them called something different because DD knows who you are talking about very easily. We also did GG because Great Grandma (last name) was too big a mouthful!
all will be grandma and grandpa until baby add their own flair to what they are called.
Were calling both of our parents grandma and grandpa because its natural to us and when the baby starts to talk they can decide for themselves what they will call them. I dont really care what they want to be called because the baby will make up her own mind and I'm not going to force her to call them anything if she doesnt want to... It just seems unnatural. As long as its appropriate then its fine with us.
(IL's want to be called oma and opa... we hate it. They dont want her to confuse the grandparents, so they think they should all have different names.... which we think is even more confusing. anyone agree?)
BFP #2 - MC Aug 2012 - D&C w/ complications
Personally I would prefer 4 different names for each grandparent. I agree that it's somewhat up to LO and if he/she comes up with something I'm sure it will be adorable. But you have to refer to them by something now. I think it was super confusing for my nieces to do Grandma (Smith) and Grandma (Johnson)...and it just seems so formal. If there are going to be events (birthdays, graduations, etc) where both sets are invited it gets confusing. IMO.
Oma and Opa though...
I'd hate to be a 15 year old using those names!
My parents are Nana and Papa
My ILs are MiMi and PawPaw (Already decided due to previous grandchildren)
My parents: Mewaw and Pepaw (a family inside joke).
My MIL wants to be called "Mamacita" but I refuse. She'll be Nana.
my parents will be grandma lastname and grandma and grandpa lastname (my dad's remarried).
IDK what MIL will be. i believe she wants meemaw or something like that. i'd much prefer grandma, but that's not a battle that's worth fighting. i've already "won" the battle with the waiting room and childcare, so it's my turn to give a bit.
we grew up with grandma/grandpa lastname and it was never confusing.
When DH was growing up his grandparents were "Grandma and Grandpa" but he distinguished them by saying "Grandpa and Grandma with the Car" or "Grandpa and Grandma with the Truck". I thought that was a cute little thing.
Both of our parents have trucks, both have horses, both have cats. My dad has dogs, so my dad will be "Grandpa with the Dog" but I'm not sure what his parents will be yet. (My mom passed away when I was younger, so I guess she's "Grandma in Heaven")
I kind of feel both blessed and saddened when I think about the whole grandparents thing for our baby.
As far as grandpa's go... My dad died when I was a kid so he's not in the picture at all and DH's dad pretty much got remarried and adopted her family while turning completely cold on his own (like out of no where too). So he's out of the picture too! However, I'm so blessed to have a wonderful step-dad (who has been separated from my mom for almost 10 years at this point, but raised me since I was 3 or 4 years old) and he has happily stepped into the roll of Grandpa and is pretty excited about it. Since there are no others he's easily just Grandpa until LO picks out something else.
Now for grandmas... there are a lot of those. lol. My MIL signs cards Grandma from Alabama since that's where she lives (a good 15-20 hour drive away). I guess we could keep up with that, or whatever she decides to call herself to the baby when she visits. My mom I have no idea; as I don't even know how much she will even be around for baby but probably Grandma (first name) (she has issues and DH doesn't want her to ever be alone with LO and I don't really blame him, though I'm avoiding that conversation with my mother). So far I don't think I'll have to worry much b/c she hasn't really put any effort into anything baby related what-so-ever. My step-mom (from my dad before he passed) will be called Grandma (first name) unless LO comes up with something else. My step-dad's fiance will be called Grandma (first name). My own grandma will be called the same nickname I think that I called her since it is pretty much completely unique and all the grandkids call her that, plus she lives 8 hours away so I'm not sure how much LO will see her either.
We are so fortunate to have people that have stepped in for us as grandparents, but I'm still very bummed that LO won't have a close relationship with any of her biological grandparents. *Maybe that's flame worthy I don't know, but it makes me just a little sad.
My parents want to be Grandma and Grandpa. DH wants to call his mom Manaw, which is what he called his gran (who is no longer with us). Really, though, I think it'll end up being what the LO comes up with.
On a side note, I like Oma and Opa for grandparents, but I think a lot of words sound better in German....
It is funny, in my family, it was always Grandmom (pronounced Grummum) and Granddad,a nd I never knew anyone who said Grandma and Grandpa, but apparently that is the norm. It also is in DH's family so his parents are Grandma and Grandpa (they already have a grandson who calls them that) and mine will be Grandmom and Granddad.
For what it's worth, I was lucky enough to have all 4 of my grandparents for most of my life and used the same names for both of them (no last name or anything) and always knew who was who. When I was talking to my parents sometimes I would clarify with "mom's mom" or "dad's mom" but it was never a big deal. I guess I don't get the whole concern about having different names for different people because we never did and we all got along just fine. I also knew different handwriting, but sometimes cards would say Grandmom G or Grandmom W to differentiate, but they are such different people I could always tell by the card, wrapping paper, gift or even envelope who it was from!
Sep14 February Siggy Challenge: Favorite Romantic Movie - A Knight's Tale
Happily welcomed healthy baby girl December 2011.
Excited to welcome a new addition September 2014!