Hello "Grand-Ma-Ma"

When you say Grand-Ma-Ma it should be said with a rolled "r" and a flourish!! I wonder what my kids would say if I told them that's what I wanted my grandchildren to call me. Ha! Since Stacy found out she was pregnant, I've been asked what I want my grandmother name to be. I just figured I'd be, well, Grandma. That's what I called both my Gramas (we didn't really say the "d") and to differentiate, one was called Grama Haus: short for Westerhaus---as if it were too much effort to say her whole name.

I found out these days, you pick your Grandmother name, so the parents will know what to call you in your absence and the kids will pick up on it. I've found that many times this doesn't exactly pan out. My friend Sheila's Grandma name is "Dub". She can't get her Grandson to call her anything else, and she's apparently stuck with it. It wasn't what she had in mind!

So, I've been trying to figure out what I want my Grandchildren to call me. I figure with five children, if they each have even two kids a piece, I'll be living with this name a lot. It's changed over the months. I've had lots of input. My daughters think "Cham-Cham" would fit me best. I've been know to favor an occasional glass of champagne, so they think this would best encapsulate the essence of my personality. Great! I can hear it now. "Jack, why do you call your grandma "Cham-Cham"? "Oh, that's cause she can't stay out of the bubbly". My sister-in-law says for sure I'm a Mimi. I didn't even ask her why. Stacy's Mom is "Gran". She has other grandchildren, they both call her that, and she seems like a "Gran": sure of her role in their lives, very stable and kind, and just a twinkle in her eye that would not work if she were say, "Grandma". I've possibly given this too much thought, but you know, kids don't stay toddlers forever. They grow into teenagers. Imagine the future when I might be at a high school basketball game. You don't want your big sweaty Grandson to have to come up and say "Hi Lovey". (I had that in mind for a while.) Then I thought I'd be "Honey". Oh, I thought, that's sweet, it sounds smooth, unruffled. My girls thought it sounded like a stripper! I've gone through Grama K, Grandy, Grammy, Gigi, Nana, MoMa, Tootie, KK, and Big Mama. Sorry, I draw the line at Big Mama!!!

At this point, I just hope I'll be a good grandma and the kids will want to call me something. I think maybe the parents actually pick you a name, the kids can't say it, and it morphs into something like "Dub".