School is picking up, so blogs are going to be at a minimum the next few weeks, but I’ll do what I can. Today you get a theory. As I prepare for fatherhood, we are now in the 2nd trimester! Also, I am newly an uncle as of April 22nd! I have had a conversation with some about what to call the grandparents. I have learned that sometimes grandparents names just happen. A grandkid in their learning of this vast new world of language try to say something, a name just emerges.
However, I think that the name from grandparents come for our idea of grandparents. I never knew my mom’s dad. He passed away before any of the grandkids were born, but I did know my dad’s dad, Abraham Tiger. No middle name, just Abraham. Of course, I didn’t know him as such, to me he was and always will be Papa. When I think of a grandfather, Papa is forever ingrained in my mind. Just hearing the name brings joy to my heart. And when the time comes many moons from now, and if I have the choice, I will choose Papa.
I had assumed then that my dad would want to be called Papa. After all that was the name that I associate with being a grandfather, but my dad when he thinks about grandfather does not think about his dad, but about his grandfather who he called Granddad. Just like in my mind is a grandfather Papa, so in his mind is a grandfather Granddad.
My conclusion is thus: Grandparents names skips a generation. So, my grandparent line may be something like Granddad, Papa, Granddad, Papa. Just a thought. If you have any leave them below.
2 Comments
May 6, 2009 at 12:50 pm
My brother-in-law beat us to having kids, and his kids called their grandparents “Nana” & “Papa” – so that’s what they wanted called. Except my son calls her “Nanny.” Which has stuck. I think it’s great when the kids come up with their own names.
May 22, 2009 at 2:14 pm
You could go completely southern and go Mamaw and Papaw. The tradition in my family has always been grandparents are mamaw and papaw. It gets kind of confusing after awhile when 5 kids scream mamaw and five different grandmothers go “what?”