Author Topic: What do you call your grandmother? (Read 14402 times)

HDAngel · « **on:** March 19, 2009, 05:53:04 AM »

My granddaughter is starting to try to communicate. It will be no time at all before she starts talking. So, I need to decide what I want her to call me. I called my moms mother grandma, but refused except that I could have two grandma's so I called my dads mother Nana. Being the mutt I am... English, Irish, Scottish, Russian, Polish, German, Cherokee and Choctaw Indian that I have many languages to choose from. I'm soooo confused. What do you call your grandma?

Skadi · « **Reply #1 on:** March 19, 2009, 06:13:31 AM »

If I was you, I'd use a Native American term. Mostly because I adore that culture. I'm like you..totally mixed background melting pot. Mostly English, Scottish and Irish.

I don't know. The Native American thing just seems cool to me. And it seems most closely tied to the oldest US roots. So I still say go with that.

There's noting wrong with Grandma or Grammy either. It might be that she settles into her own ideas, and calls you what she wants to.

feelingindifferent · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2009, 08:06:05 AM »

I call my grandmother 阿婆 (my mum's mum)
but my dad's mum I　ｃａｌｌ　ｈｅｒ　麻麻

sorry, not much help, they're both canto phrases.

dweez · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2009, 08:35:45 AM »

+5 for awesomeness
-5 for apologizing

JackFrost · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2009, 08:37:54 AM »

I call mine Grammy...

knownassociate · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2009, 08:59:42 AM »

I would imagine that will rest with the child at first then you, if you care to refine it. I've seen kids hold to their original version, Mema=grandma. And others who were prompted to use the 'correct' pronunciation. Knowing you as I do, I suspect you will allow your grandchild to say what is in her heart.

knownassociate · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2009, 09:15:09 AM »

Quote from: christ on March 19, 2009, 09:07:39 AM

It doesn't matter what I call mine, she can't hear me.

(... she couldn't even before she took up pushing up daisies as a full time job)

I pnly met one once. Hardly anything to base an worthwhile answer on...so....

lol, and yet there have been times you bet her nightgown!

smokester · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2009, 09:21:39 AM »

The only one I did know passed over many years ago. I called her "Nanny" as in turn do my children call my mother. I have at least 3 different bloods from my parents and my children have 4 as my partner is half Guyanese, but I would ask my children to call my mother something in a language that she could understand...

subvinorosa · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2009, 09:28:22 AM »

My great and grandmothers I call Mama.

My maternal grandpa, Guakong and my paternal gramps is Lolo (Filipino term for grandfather) Daddy. Grand uncles are all Papa.

My mom is called Lala, a play on Lola, which is the Filipino term for Grandmother. My kids call my dad Daddy.

If that's not confusing enough, one aunt is called Mama, another Ate (Filipino term of respect or older sister) and one is Nanay (Filipino for mother).

knownassociate · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2009, 10:40:24 AM »

This is a very cool thread. The contrasts and similarities with languages always interests me. What di you call your mom and dad? And what do your kids call you?

feelingindifferent · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2009, 10:48:34 AM »

Quote from: dweez on March 19, 2009, 08:35:45 AM

+5 for awesomeness
-5 for apologizing

dweez · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2009, 11:10:35 AM »

Sorry FI...I calls them likes I sees them.

Robin-Graves · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2009, 11:19:51 AM »

Quote from: knownassociate on March 19, 2009, 10:40:24 AM

This is a very cool thread. The contrasts and similarities with languages always interests me. What di you call your mom and dad? And what do your kids call you?

I call my mom mom,andmy dad dad.
My Grandmother I called Grandma,my dads mother granny,and my dads father papa.

My son calls my mother Nana,,and he calls me the " guy with the money" lol

subvinorosa · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2009, 11:25:27 AM »

Mommy and Daddy, not mom and dad for my parents.

My kids call me Mommy and their dad Papa.

knownassociate · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2009, 12:04:28 PM »

Thanks, I was very curious about that. It only becomes confusing in the translation to English then. Or if one's bilingual, if out of context.

ohcheap1 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2009, 01:36:21 PM »

I agree, this is very cool thread.

Sadly, our daughter calls her Dad and me by our first names. People think that is peculiar..... but she has been doing it since she was like 7. Feels normal to me, and in a crowd I am more likely to respond when my name is called than when someone is screaming "Mom".

I call my Mom and Dad just that, Mom and Dad. Grandparents were plenty when I was growing up. so there was 2 set of Grandma First name and Grandpa first name but then the pair of Grandparents I was closest to (live with for awhile) were just plain Grandma and Grandpa. My daughter has continued that. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bob kinda thing.

indie180 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 19, 2009, 01:51:55 PM »

I called both my Grandmothers just "Granny", I never knew my Granfathers.

My kids called my mother "Gran" and they call the wife's mother "Nana"

They call my father "Granpa" and they called the wife's father "Papa"

smokester · « **Reply #17 on:** March 19, 2009, 01:53:45 PM »

Quote from: ohcheap1 on March 19, 2009, 01:36:21 PM

I call my Mom and Dad just that, Mom and Dad.

I call my mother M, but then I have always liked to abrvt.

Robin-Graves · « **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2009, 12:49:36 AM »

I allways called my dad "the old man" ( millitary thing,,not a sign of disrespect) and since my mother is a Baptist Reverend and a retired doctor the " reverend Mother" or "Doc" lol

smokester · « **Reply #19 on:** March 20, 2009, 02:12:02 AM »

Quote from: christ on March 19, 2009, 02:34:07 PM

Gesundheit.

I would have thought "Bless you" would have been more appropriate.

teech · « **Reply #20 on:** March 20, 2009, 04:47:54 AM »

Quote from: HDAngel on March 19, 2009, 05:53:04 AM

My granddaughter is starting to try to communicate. It will be no time at all before she starts talking. So, I need to decide what I want her to call me. I called my moms mother grandma, but refused except that I could have two grandma's so I called my dads mother Nana. Being the mutt I am... English, Irish, Scottish, Russian, Polish, German, Cherokee and Choctaw Indian that I have many languages to choose from. I'm soooo confused. What do you call your grandma?

I haven't got to the stage where there are little uns about to address me. I hope it comes along soon though. My daughter says she plans to and it's on the list of things to do !!! (she is 29) Actually i am not bothered about what i might be called, I may be though if they use what i used for my nan's. I had BIG NAN and LITTLE NAN. really easy stuff and everyone knew who i meant. Hee hee. My nan's were great and i have really good memories of the huge great bed that i had to be helped into and the massive bolstor pillows that we used to puff up from either side of the bed and as i smacked my fists together to puff, she would pull it, toss it and turn it over leaving my hands smack together missing the target. Funny for a kid. Whatever you are called, you are a gran to your grandaughter and she will love you to bits as you do her.
Teech.x

smokester · « **Reply #21 on:** March 20, 2009, 03:17:17 PM »

Quote from: christ on March 20, 2009, 03:59:24 AM

Which is why, of course, i didn't use it.

Just as well, any more and I'll burst.

HDAngel · « **Reply #22 on:** March 20, 2009, 07:34:58 PM »

Quote from: smokester on March 20, 2009, 03:17:17 PM

Just as well, any more and I'll burst.

I want to see smokester burst.

knownassociate · « **Reply #23 on:** March 20, 2009, 11:32:47 PM »

...Clean up on aisle 1...christ just exploded poor Smokes...should be mandatory to have check valves installed before becoming an admin...

Robin-Graves · « **Reply #24 on:** March 25, 2009, 01:35:48 PM »

Been there, done that.
NO KIDDING!!!!!!!

davidsolomon83 · « **Reply #25 on:** April 19, 2009, 04:43:00 PM »

I never knew any of my grandparents $:-\$ , my parents, well i'd say my total contact with them has been .001 % of my total life to this day, why? was born in one place, grew up in another, boarding school was a different place, high school and college still other places as well, and the university still a different place. Where I am now is still a place I havent been in my life before and I plan to go to

......(Yeah $:-\$ ) .........a different place still, probably North US or Canada.

I have a large family, I just never got to be with them.

As for kids, well I dont have any grand kids in the near future

(...........ha ha ha, I like to think I'm some homeless guy with money and education

, but then there are plenty of those these days with the bad economy, anyway

..........)

ohcheap1 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 19, 2009, 05:14:18 PM »

Is that what you attribute this wayward loneliness to David? So you called your Grandparents - "You kinda look like my Mom/Dad" then right? That really is to bad

laama · « **Reply #27 on:** April 19, 2009, 05:35:18 PM »

Decedent.

davidsolomon83 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 19, 2009, 08:35:27 PM »

^

.........Oh my! now that i read that again it sounds too serious

Oops, i forgot, if they were alive I'd call them grandpa and gramma

, but thats what anyone would call their grands.

My moms is a Professor, I call her Mom and dads is a Federaaly

, I call him Pops.

^ @ OC1

Quote from: ohcheap1 on April 19, 2009, 05:14:18 PM

wayward loneliness

Hey,

, come one now, I'm "Quite" normal

, it isnt "THAT serious" , I assure you. Its just that in my early life I never got to have close contact with my family.

jackalope21 · « **Reply #29 on:** April 23, 2009, 04:00:13 PM »

I call my maternal grandmother Maw Maw and my paternal grandmother Granny...

You can take the boy out of the South, but not the South out of the boy

Santafer · « **Reply #30 on:** April 24, 2009, 05:39:39 PM »

I call her Abuelita but I'm latin so.

Methiah · « **Reply #31 on:** April 25, 2009, 02:02:55 PM »

What I would call my grandmother is not something to be said in polite company.

My Father caught her trying to smother my sister with a pillow when she was still in the cradle. She had gone a bit funny in the noddle though (not my sister).
She also made my uncle Robert deaf in one ear by slapping him acrross the head with her hand.

She's been dead for some time now thank God!

ohcheap1 · « **Reply #32 on:** April 26, 2009, 12:23:56 PM »

OOOOoooooOOOOOooooo.......you win Methiah. That is by far the most unique Grandma story posted. Thats a screenplay waiting to be written.

davidsolomon83 · « **Reply #33 on:** April 26, 2009, 11:48:49 PM »

and I'm sure you've (OC1) has bought the rights in advance

HDAngel · « **Reply #34 on:** April 27, 2009, 04:51:33 AM »

Quote from: Methiah on April 25, 2009, 02:02:55 PM

What I would call my grandmother is not something to be said in polite company.

My Father caught her trying to smother my sister with a pillow when she was still in the cradle. She had gone a bit funny in the noddle though (not my sister).
She also made my uncle Robert deaf in one ear by slapping him acrross the head with her hand.

She's been dead for some time now thank God!

Any chance your grandmother had postpartum depression? They didn't really know much about it back when your dad was little. I'm sure they must have thought all women who had postpartum depression as being a little funny in the noddle. And did you ever ask what your uncle Robert did that got him slapped? I'm sure she didn't hit him like that to intentionally make him deaf in that ear. Maybe your grandmother was given a bad rap.

davidsolomon83 · « **Reply #35 on:** April 27, 2009, 05:17:20 AM »

thats unlikely ^ , the length of time is too great, its probably something else

Methiah · « **Reply #36 on:** April 29, 2009, 09:59:57 AM »

Quote from: HDAngel on April 27, 2009, 04:51:33 AM

...did you ever ask what your uncle Robert did that got him slapped? I'm sure she didn't hit him like that to intentionally make him deaf in that ear.

I have some idea as she slammed my head into the wall when I was about 4 for taking a Fox's glacier mint from the jar.

ohcheap1 · « **Reply #37 on:** April 29, 2009, 11:18:18 AM »

Mother F*&%$#!! Hate to see what would happen over a Mentos! Nice of HD to give her the benefit of the doubt but some people are just whackos.

davidsolomon83 · « **Reply #38 on:** April 30, 2009, 12:52:39 AM »

Quote from: ohcheap1 on April 29, 2009, 11:18:18 AM

but some people are just whackos.

.............Nah $:-\$ , I wouldnt say that, what might seem plain cruel or dumb to us might be cause by some genuine disability, impairment or simply put, disease. Many ordinary good folks might do things that makes them nutt jobs, but thats because of an underlying problem. What if his grandmother had some psych problem? that explains alot, but if that was the case then how could anyone incriminate her

$:-\$

Methiah · « **Reply #39 on:** May 01, 2009, 02:25:03 PM »

Yes she probably had a psych problem of some form. I do not believe in good or evil. She did not approve of the marriage of her last daughter, who was expected to look after her in her dotage, to my Father. My family on my Mother's side were all a bit crazy it appears. My grandfather? now there is a subject for another thread but interlinked of course to the whole craziness that resulted.

A totally bent up family by most perceptions.