Choosing a Name

There are two levels to this subject.

Choosing OUR names and trying not to comment on the choices for the baby's name.


Neither is as easy as it may seem.

As to our names, the simple or obvious has never been our course in any endeavor. So, in choosing what our grandchild will call us, we've tried on several monikers like so many old hats. The latest incarnation lends itself to the Blog name. There are some who would argue that names for grandparents don't have to be decided in tandem. I disagree. We will, for the remainder of our natural lives, be referred to as unit, such as, "let's go to Granmama and Big Papa's house." The order also becomes an issue. Is it Granmama and Big Papa or Big Papa and Granmama? You know it matters. There is a certain life rhythm to the correct cadence.

It seems that many Baby Boomer Grandparents (BBG), resist the typical, granny and grandad,
grandma and grandpa, grandmother and grandfather (the formal). I think it is pretty obvious why. We look in the mirror and see, thanks to the miracles of modern science, a face with few wrinkles, hair with no gray, and bodies more sculpted(either natural or not). We do not see OUR grandparents. Most opt for something lighter than Nana and Pops. Mimi, Sweetie, Honey, Bebe, Poppy, Buddy, Dude, Poppo are a few that are becoming heard on playgrounds, malls, and pick-up lines at preschool.

I'll have to admit that we considered grandparent light. However, at this juncture, the inspiration for our choices comes from the combination of a long gone rapper and a current name (the Notorious BIG + Papa = Big Papa) and, in the case of Granmama, well, I just made it up. I like being called Mama, so I think I will love being called Granmama. Nobody ever pronounces the "d" in grand anyway.

Now, for a more serious matter. Everyone know, or they should, that parents (future grandparents that is) have no real input when it comes to the name of the new baby. Most girls start naming their unborn children when they are in the fifth grade. The things that change on their ever evolving list is the father's name and very often the trend of the times. Often the only thing influencing the list is the father's name. The future child, Tiffani Graceann Smith becomes Tiffany Grace Jones after the fifth grader grows up and marries Mr. Jones.

This is not to say that parents aren't included in the naming process. Many are honored by the child being given their name or a derivative. Many are consulted about family names. Many are even asked for their thoughts on potential choices for names. This is the slippery slope. I am looking to other sources for help.