Although some women get touchy about being called Grandma, I don’t. It doesn’t much matter how much botox and lypo you have, people can do the math. If your kids are in their 30s and having babies, the grandparents are at least in their 50s. Some women don’t want to be called Grandma. To me that’s like Elizabeth II not wanting to be called the Queen. Being a grandmother is divine, especially if you have kept glamorous and I know every woman reading this has done just that.
What’s really cool is when the baby comes up with it’s own rendition of grandma. My friend’s grandson calls her Ya Ya. My grandson calls me Mama Dia, like Mama Mia, the musical. I love it. We have no idea how he came up with it, but it makes me smile every time it comes out of his sweet mouth.
Names mean a lot. Now as for my new granddaughter, I will have no say in what she is named. I can only hope that my daughter and her husband come up with something where she won’t need therapy later. They both have great strong names and are sensible people. I will be very surprised if my grandbaby comes into the world and I find out that she is to be called Scout or Moon Unit.
Just for fun, I looked up the top 10 girls names for 2012. Holy crap! Where have I been? I must have missed a meeting or something. The top 10 names included Seraphina, Imogen, and Adelaide. At least those are real names.
Lately, celebrities have cornered the market on giving their children names that are ... let’s say... unique. Beyonce named her baby Blue Ivy. Ok, if your name is Beyonce, you probably are not programmed to name your child Debbie. I will give her that. But I worry about Morrocan, Pilot Inspektor, and Apple. Will it be harder to be a grown-up with those names?
To be honest, it’s not just show business. I have friends who have granddaughters named Kennedy and Brooklyn and another friend with a grandson named Rio, because the baby was conceived in Rio de Janiero. Thank goodness he wasn’t conceived in Pittsburgh... that’s all I have got to say.
I like unusual names, but it is hard enough being a kid without going around with a moniker that you can be teased about. I wonder how old one of those Seraphinas will be before she can write her own name?
I can tell you from experience that I suffered for having a name that was different. One time we were at Disneyland and the gift shop had a whole wall of miniature personalized signs for a kid’s bedroom door. I remember being so disappointed when there was no Fifi’s Room to be had. It had a big effect on me. I wanted to be Angela or Katie so bad. THEY had signs.
I would love to hear from you if you grew up with an unusual name or you grew up a Jim or Mary and wished your name was jazzier. I love writing these articles, but I adore hearing from you. Let’s hear your stories about being named Apollonia or Winthrop? Or were you one of four Lisas in your class and hated it? Sometimes you get an interesting name because of who you marry. My dad’s secretary was named Olive Jameson. She then married Thomas Green. Yep... Olive Green.
Listen, I write for you all the time. It’s your turn, damn it! How did your name affect you? Let me know, will you? I will share the best ones with all my readers. It will be fun!
Do this for the sake of my granddaughter. I don’t think so, but if they are thinking about naming her after a fruit or a color, you might help change their minds. The baby’s mother works for me and I read your letters at our company meetings, so your emails are especially important this week. I need your input desperately. Do it for the baby...
