10 FOFs will win a copy of Eye of My Heart, FOF Barbara Graham’s bestselling essay collection about the pleasures and perils of being a grandmother. To enter, answer in the comments below: What did you call your grandparents?
Thank you for entering. This contest is now closed.
What did you write before Eye of My Heart?
I’ve written for many magazines, including Self, Vogue, O Magazine, and Glamour. I’ve written a lot about psychology and personal growth, as well as personal essays. After taking one self-help workshop too many in the 90s, I authored a humorous take on the subject. That book is called Women Who Run With The Poodles: Myths and Tips for Honoring Your Mood Swings.
What’s the biggest difference between how our generation relates to our kids, compared to the way our parents’ generation related to us?
We’re the therapy generation. We talk to our kids. We share an intimacy that I certainly never had with my own parents. Our shared vocabulary includes the honest expression of feelings. But that can complicate matters when you become a grandparent, because the expectation is that the intimacy will continue. It does and it doesn’t. Clear boundaries are essential.
What are some of your personal observations about boomer grandparents?
Boomer women are redefining grandmotherhood, as we did with motherthood. The book gets the conversation going. Our grandmothers’ and mothers’ identities were mostly tied to being wives, mothers and homemakers, not to career. That’s a huge difference. My grandmother was always available to take care of me. Today, many grandparents live at great distances from their grandchildren, which presents another big challenge. And, with so much divorce and remarriage in recent decades, many families today have a bigger stable of grandparents than ever before. This also can make things a bit complicated. You think you’ve dealt with all your stuff in therapy, and that you’re all grown up. Then you become a grandparent, which can trigger all sorts of old feelings. If you haven’t matured and mastered the art of letting go, grandparenthood can be challenging since you don’t really have a say in what happens with your grandchildren. This can be especially challenging for women who are used to speaking up in their professional lives. Becoming a grandparent is like going from being a member of the starting lineup on a baseball team to a player on the bench. It’s wondrous, but a little shock to the ego sometimes.
{Read the entire interview with Barbara here}
Enter to win a copy of Eye of My Heart, FOF Barbara Graham’s bestselling essay collection about the pleasures and perils of being a grandmother. 10 FOFs will win. To enter, answer in the comments below: What did you call your grandparents?
(See all our past winners. See official rules. One winner is chosen at random from all those commenters who answer the question. Contest closes August 25, 2011.)
0 Responses to “{Giveaway} “Eye of My Heart” bestseller about being a grandmother”
RarnChild says:
All 4 of my grandparents came from Ukriane as teenagers. My father’s father passed away when I was only 4 months old. Both of my grandmothers were called Baba, and my mother’s father was called Geegee (a corruption of Gido)
Freda Hannafon says:
I called my Grandparents, “Grandma and Grandpa”. We always spelled it this way as well. When I met my husband, I learned that he spelled their names Gramma and Grampa. I had never seen that spelling! I only ever knew my father’s mother and my mother’s father. They were both very dear to me and my siblings. My parents have been very close to my children and that’s how I want it to be for my grandchildren.
In February, I will become a Grandma (Gramma) for the first time. I am having a hard time deciding what to be called although I may not have a choice. I really don’t want to be called Grandma because that sounds so old! I came up with the title of “GG”! I think that sounds cute so we shall see what my new Grandchild thinks!!
Rosa Tejada says:
My grandkids call me “Nana”. It’s funny, if you ask them what my real name is, they’ll give you a blank stare because they don’t know……
orchidlady01 says:
Our grandparents were Grandma and Grandpa on both sides of the family. I always abbreviated them in writing to G’ma and G’pa and always think of them with the shortened version. We had the best grandparents!
Patricia says:
We referred to my maternal grandparents as “Grandma in Pennsylvania” and “Grandpa”. We referred to my paternal grandmother as “Grama on the Highway”. The Garden State Parkway ran in front of her home. My father’s father was not living when I was born.
Cloerkl21560 says:
I was only given the chance to have known one Grandmother. But to me ” GrandyMa” was magic. I can still smell her pound cake right now. I have been blessed with the most amazing Grandchildren. It makes me so sad that they live 998 miles away. But when we do get time together, it is Magic all over again, and all about them and making memories. I love them so very much !
Phyllis says:
My grandfather’s both died when I was young so I called one grandmother…grandma in the Bronx and the other….grandma in Englishtown! Now isn’t that ingenious! Don’t know who came up with it either!
Margarida says:
Iaffectionately called my Grandparents, Grannie and Grandpa.
wendy says:
Hahaha…. called my grandparents Grandma and Grandpa
no cutsie names for those two. They were very strict and did not baby sit, we stayed with them of course , but only when we could be seen and not heard
Sue Epling says:
I had New Jersey Grandma and Ohio Grandma! Pretty simple way to distinguish the two by their home state. As my sister and I got older, we identified them by Grandma and their last name!
notplainjayne says:
My mother’s father died when she was just two and so there was only one grandparent on her side. My siblings and I called her Kinda-Grandma because she was so kind to us. We called our paternal grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. I remember Grandma always wearing an apron- she had many. She made me a quilt when I was three and many of the fabrics used were leftovers from her scraps. The memories live on as I curl up with the quilt over my lap. It’s a bit tattered but the love is still there!
notplainjayne says:
My mother’s father died when she was just two and so there was only one grandparent on her side. My siblings and I called her Kinda-Grandma because she was so kind to us. We called our paternal grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. I remember Grandma always wearing an apron- she had many. She made me a quilt when I was three and many of the fabrics used were leftovers from her scraps. The memories live on as I curl up with the quilt over my lap. It’s a bit tattered but the move is still there!
nancdep5 says:
We had Nana (my mom’s mother) and Grandma/Grandpa (my dad’s parents). We lost Nana at a young age, but I have very fond memories of her. Grandma and Grandpa were elderly, so it was a different relationship. My Mom is Nana to all her grandchildren and my dad was PopPop. I would love to get this book for my sister, the only grandparent so far of my siblings. Since we already have a Nana, she goes by MeMe for her grandson.
Aggie Pearo says:
Because of the war, I did not even meet my grandmother until I was 17 years old. She was behind the iron curtain all that time. So, I really only met her when she was in her 80s, so I only called her by her name. So sad!
mmimilinda says:
My grandparents were called Gran’ma and Gran’pa. When my first grandchild was expected, her parents asked me what I wanted to be called-so I am Bibi, which is Swahili for grandmother (or old woman!), and it is a very easy name for babies to say, so I think it was a great selection. It fits me perfectly!
kathypt1 says:
My maternal grandparents were Grandma and Grandpa. But my paternal grandmother was much older (my dad being the youngest – much younger). So I called her Grandmother. I remember calling her Grandma once and all my cousins laughing at me. Two years ago when our first grandchild arrived, it was some decision to make but I reverted to what I am comfortable with – Grandma. She doesn’t have any problem saying that. In the next month though, we go from being Grandparents that live 10 minutes away to living halfway across the country from each other. My son got a job in another state. So now I learn to be a long distance grandparent. 🙁
Nancy G. says:
My dad’s parents were just Grandma and Grandpa, but my mom’s parents, who lived with us until they died when I was 10, were Nanny and Pa. Oddly enough, when my daughter was little, she just automatically started calling MY parents Nanny and Papa (that is unless THEY taught her to call them that – they watched her while I worked until she started school)! Best of all, I am now Nanny III – my 5 year old granddaughter as well as my 4 year old grandson both call ME Nanny!! I LOVE being Nanny! I told granddaughter Lily that one day SHE’d be a Nanny too and it just fascinated her!
parksm says:
one set was mawmaw and pawpaw and the other set was Grandma Eans and Grandpa Eans
Patty Tracy says:
Nanny,,, Grandpop was gone before I was born . did not know dads side at all…ohh welll 🙂
I have 2 granddaughters, Lizzy(4) calls me grandmom and Becky calls me gammom (2)
Gotta love them
Ann says:
I am a grandmother–fairly young one, I have 5 grandchildren and they are wonderful — I love them all. I hope I am being a good grandmother, my youngest is my only son and his grandmother didn’t like him because she didn’t like me, and he was mine–Thank God for my mother who loves hims very much, so my son didn’t miss out that woman missed out not knowing my son….
etangel18 says:
We had to lovely sets of grandparents, my nana and nano and my honey and gramma. You see Gramma always called Grandpa “Honey” so it stuck for the rest of us! I have fond memories of visiting both sets of grandparents on the weekends with big family dinners, children frolicking in the garden or climbing the fruit trees. I miss them dearly and now as a grandma myself who is known as MiMi, I try to create lasting memories for my children and grandchildren. I would love to win ” Eye of My Heart, the book it looks like a great read and has some well taken points on boomer grandparents versus our own memories.
dmnyes says:
They were always grandma and Pap pap. My granddaughters call me Grandma Goody! Goody is an old nickname from High school days. Even my parents called me by my nickname.
dmnyes says:
They were always grandma and Pap pap. My granddaughters call me Grandma Goody! Goody is an old nickname from High school days. Even my parents called me Goody.
Cecilia says:
I was privileged to have both grandmothers, mema and gran. Only one grandfather, simply Pa… He was quite a character! Rolled his own cigarettes, even when he finally quit he carried an empty can from his tobacco in his overalls pocket to smell it once and a while!!
sweeteepie965 says:
They were gramps and granny peachees and at holloween she was granny good witch.
Dianne Williams says:
I had only one grandmother (on my father’s side) and one grandfather (on my mother’s side.) Both of them lived far away, since my parents had decided that they did not want to live near their families. I rarely saw either grandparent. I called them Grandma and Grandpa. Sadly, it wasn’t much of a relationship.
gmcl says:
The only grandparent that I knew, I called Mother W. I only remember her as a bedridden invalid who was suffering from advanced dementia. We’re having lots of grandparent name discussion these days as we expect our first grandchild this fall.
Joyce Steele says:
My twin sister, younger sister and I called our grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. I didn’t even know their first names until I was in Jr high school. We spent wonderful times with them, one of my favorite memories was sitting on their big huge front porch and catching fireflies in the summer. Grandpa put grass in a Bell canning jar, poked holes in the lid and then when we got the lightning bugs he put them inside and we watched them light up the night. I can still smell the smell of cookies baking, then they went into cookie jars in the pantry. My sister’s were chocolate chip, mine were oatmeal. I have so many happy memories of Grandma and Grandpa. 🙂
msoup51 says:
Memere & Pepere, which is French for grandmother & grandfather. I only had 1 of each all my life. My mother’s mother died when she was 5 yrs. old. My paternal grandmother was the love of my life!! Though she’s been dead for about 30 yrs. I still remember childhood through parts of my adult life spending time with her alone 2 to 3 times a week. She was a precious little, barely 5 foot woman who was & is always remembered as my “special” Memere to me & Great Memere to my 33 yr. old son who still remembers our “special” Memere.
bobbi Mac Gregor says:
Being a first generation American I NEVER knew my maternal or Paternal Grandparents. But an older friend of my mum “adopted” my brother and myself as HER grandchildren. We called her Nana Grant. She was so VERY wonderful in RVRTYWAY. She loved us so VERY much and we REALLY loved her.
When she died on a Christmas morning she was found holding the boquet of red roses in her arms which my brother and I had sent her. She was the BEST Grandmother ANYONE could EVER have and I miss her to this day.
susan miller says:
My grandparents raised me but thye were Granny and PaPa. They were Greek and had a fabulous rrestaurant. I went to the cafe almost everyday starting at age 8 months I am told, I was raised by the waitresses and friends from the community that ate there. What a colorful world I had. Lawyers, bankers, preachers newsboys, and even at times homeless that came to get coffee free. I loved my Papa so much, he instilled in me the dode that everyone is equal unless they prove differant. I to this day try to see everyone as the same and have so much to be thankful because of my Grandparents and their lifestyle. Thanks Granny and Papa
LoisPow says:
I called my mother parents Granny and Grandpop. My father’s mother was called Grandmom. I will be a first time grandmother next month. Still deciding on my name!
kgritts says:
This is such a great question! I was blessed with a brand new grandson 2 weeks ago and we’ve been talking about this very thing! I called my Mom’s parents “Grandmommy” and “Granddaddy.” I called my Dad’s mom “Grammaw.” His dad passed away when he was three so I never knew him.
Deborah Goodwin says:
I always called my Grandmother “Grandmother,” even though other siblings and cousins called her Grandma. I really don’t know why, except she was one of the people in my life I respected most and she was the only grandparent I had. Unfortunately her husband and my father’s parents died before I was born. My first grandchild is due in February ’12 and I can’t wait!
sheilasshowcase says:
I am not a grand mother yet, My son is dating a women who has daughters, so I may be a grand mother some day. But, I am a great Aunt and and Aunt. My son and his girlfriend are both only children so they will never be an Aunt or Uncle.
Barbara-b says:
I called my grandparent by thiir names : Grandpa Ayers, Grandma Ayers, Grandpa Boyle, Grandma Boyle. It was very formal and did not reflect how different the relationship was with these two sets of grandparents. I hope that my relationship with my grandchildren is a lot more “warm and loving” than the one I had with my grandparents. It was a very different era!
Barbara-b
http://www.retireinstyleblog.com
Hannah B says:
I had only one grandmother when I was born and everyone called her Nanny. She worked as a nanny for other people’s babies but I don’t know if that was the origin of the name.
Barbara-b says:
I will be buying this book if I don’t win it. I write about this subject on my blog…a lot. It is a good thing I still have a sense of humor because I too get frustrated with the “other-in-laws” and the spouses of my children. I love my grandchildren and all those other people beyond reason…that is probably a good thing.
b
http://www.retireinstyleblog.com
Debra says:
My siblings and I had 2 sets of grandparents. One set were the kind and loving ones and we called them simply Grandma and Grandpa. The other set were the ones who did not like us and they were Grandma Anderson and Grandpa Anderson. We spent many happy hours with our loving and kind Grandma and Grandpa. I have always believed that children do not ask to be born and deserve to be loved. I am not going to make the same mistake as my Grandma Anderson and Grandpa Anderson. They missed out by not spreading their love around to all of their grandchildren.
Gwen says:
I called both my grandmothers “Granny,” a well used name in the South. I’m surprised noone else has said this. Sometimes when referring to them, not talking to them, we distinguished them as Granny Wisenbaker and Granny Cowart. My grandfather was Papa, the name all his children called him. My other grandfather was an old reprobate and my mother would not let us to call him Grandpa as my father requested by said to call him Ole’Boss, his nickname being, Boss. This sounds harsh, but really wasn’t.
As to my own grandchildren– they have seven grandparents with varying names. I just knew I didn’t want to be called “Granny.” Since my former husband’s new wife picked the Greek version of this relationship, Yaya, to go along with her husband’s Papou, and the other real grandmother picked Me-ma, and the other grandfather and his wife picked Grand pa and Grandma, I chose Gram Gwen with the hope that they would call me Gwen, which after all is my name, and not GeeGee, which it might have morphed into. Life gets complicated don’t it?
But my grandchildren have been pure pleasure and the name doesn’t really matter!
Diane says:
I called the love of my life Abweita…i could never say grandma correctly & as i got older it stuck. She was my life, my soul, spirit, conscious, my everything.
Kai W. says:
There are two terminologies in Chinese to address Grandmother. One is “Yin-Yin” which applies to the younger grandmother and the other is “Por-Por” to the eldest grandmother. But what do I know when I was only five. Both were old from a five-year old’s prospective. I ended up calling both Grandmama.
sherry leann stewart says:
I called both sets of my grandparents Granny and Grandad. My granddaughter calles me Mammy and my husband Pappy. We started out being called GrandMam and GrandPap but she shortened them to Mammy and Pappy herself when she was around 2 1/2 years old. Sometimes she shortens it even more and just calls me Mam. I love them all.
Zenaida says:
I called my garandparents Muh and GranDaddy.
Marjorie Ventura says:
My most important title job yet……Mimi. I belong to a wonderful bookclub with a Grannie, Grammie, Grandmas, Cookie, Mima, and Nana, Glamma and Mimi. The first order of every meeting is to share pictures of our “latest” babies as well those depicting the antics of the older grandchildren. Starts every book off by prioritizing life. Mine were Grandma and Grandpa, and it worked just fine.
Katrina says:
I am not a grandma yet. This book would give me a look inside to what’s ahead for me
Pam Koh says:
I called my maternal grandparents Grandpa Art and Grandma Art. Grandma’s name was really Clyde Genevieve but she hated Clyde and never used it and Genevieve was deemed too difficult for kids to say. So since Grandpa’s name was an easy one- Art, they both became Art.
Rozzie68 says:
Had a “low” grandma and a “high” grandma. One lived in an upstairs apartment – the other lived in a one-story house. My low Grandma had abundant food at her house because she had realized starvation in her childhood – in Russia. Her way to show love was to have oodles of food. I am so lucky to never have had starvation and my 2 sets of twin grand daughters probably do not know what the word means. I’m a blessed grandma.
merrylady says:
I had a gramma bonna, and gramma and for the men it was grandpa for one and the other was pa
my kids call my parents Nana and papa
and now I am a nana and my husband is papa!
Family full circle!
laclay says:
I called my grandparents “Grandma and Grandpa”. No way am I a Grandma, I’m a Mimi. This looks like a great book.
Carol says:
I called my Grandmother-Gram most of the time. I only had one Grandparent that I ever knew. All the other’s were deceased before I was born. So I feel like I was Gipped out of Grand parents, because I was never that close to the one I knew.
samriggs says:
I called my grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. Five of my grandchildren call me “Nana”; the youngest calls me “NANO”…
fzoltanetz says:
Unfortunately my grandparents lived in Europe while I was growing up and I never got the chance to know them.
nascarblue3 says:
I remember calling my grampa, “poopies” my mom told me I had a hard time pronouncing popsie, well poopies stuck, my grandma I called grandmama, love and miss them, thank you for bringing back some great memories, I know I will be thinking about them throughout the day and laughing to myself, which is fine. I just became a grandmom, I am called Babcia, Polish for grandmom, my husband is from Poland and my little grandson is learning polish from him, now there are some very very funny times, winning a copy of your book would be awesome, thank you for the chance. Have an FOF day.
Sheila Chaffins says:
Grandma and Grandpa
darinda says:
My Mom’s parents were Grandad and Grandma, but often Grandma was also just Gran. We sometimes used their last names attached.
My Dad’s parents were Grandpa and Grandma, always with their last name attached.
It gets complicated when divorce and remarriage come into play. But children tend to be creative and come up with all kinds of interesting names.
Due to divorces and remarriages, my grandchildren call me Grandma Dar. My ex and his wife are Grandma and Grandpa. My mother and dad are Maamaw and PawPaw to my grandchildren, but also to my sister’s children (who are same age as some of my grands). My sister’s children have similar nicknames for the three grandparents on her husband’s side.
My father, after remarrying, married into my ex husband’s family. How weird is that? He became Gruncle. For Grandpa and Uncle.
Rozzie68 says:
I had a “high grandma” and a “low grandma”. This title occurred because my high grandma lived in an upstairs apartment and my low grandma lived in a regular house. My memories of my “low” grandma are food, food & more food. She had grown up in Russia or Rumania (she was not sure, did not have a birth certificate). She had man years of starvation, so her real only way of showing love was to have food at her home — think it gave her feeling of security. Being a Grandma myself, have never even come close to starving and my 2 sets of twin grand daughters do not know that meaning of that word (starving). I am a blessed grandma.
1955nurse says:
I was 4 when my Maternal Grandfather died, & my maternal Grandmother died when my Mom was a Teenager. My Grandma & Grandpa were everything to me growing up – I spent ALOT of time w/them! Now that I’m a Grandmother (called Nonni ) I WISH I could spend anywhere NEAR that amt of time w/my Grand s- they live 5 1/2 hrs away & we don’t see them anywhere near enough!
surikr says:
grandma & grandpa
Dianne Johnson says:
My paternal grandparents were “Mamaw” and “Papaw”. I did not know my maternal grandparents, as they died before my birth.
Leslie Holmes says:
Both my grandfathers died when my parents were children, so I never had the pleasure of having a grandpa. But I had two wonderful grandmothers, Nana and Grandmother. Grandmother lived a vast distance away (in those days Ohio was practically on another planet) so I did not know her nearly well enough, something I regret terribly now I am a grandmother — called Loolee!
Debbie says:
As both my grandmother’s past away before I can remember them, I can’t say. But Granddaddy was what I called my mother’s dad.
Pamela Van Ryswyk says:
Big Mom & Mamma Birdie
Teresa Mitchell says:
I was fortunate to have extra sets of grandparents (some call them “steps”). So we had to designate Grandma Irene and Grandpa Bill, Grandma and Gramps, Gramma and Pops and Grandma Y and Grandpa Y. Each grandparent taught me so much and modeled me into the Grami I am today!!
Jen Rutsky says:
Nana and papa
sussexr says:
I have six wonderful grandchildren, each so special and unique. Sometimes I can’t believe it, since I was an only child. First I was amazed I had three of my own kids and now 6 grandkids!
I only knew my mother’s mom, my dad’s mom died at 27. I called my grandmother “Grandma”, my cousin’s called her Grandma Seltzer because she always had those large seltzer bottles with the silver spigets. Now it’s my turn and I proudly carry the name Grandma. (for a while it was Mema, Momma and Pie!).
I also always have seltzer in the house but, it’s mostly sparkling water. Times do change.
smfsprout says:
Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were called Grandma and PaPaw. My kids call my parents Nanny and Pop. My grandchildren call us MaMaw and PaPaw.
Stella says:
My maternal grandparents died before I was born. My paternal grandparents were divorced in the 1930s. Granddaddy and Grandma Edna were my “true” grandparents; while his ex-wife and my biological Grandmother was always too bitter to be the type of grandmother I wanted to be.
Ruthie B says:
Grammy & Pops on my mom’s side & Nana & Pop Pop on my Dad’s
Mindy Phillips says:
I am Grimmee to my grandson. We thought Gramindy would be a great name for him to call me, now at 2 years old he says Grimmee and I love it. He’s named me and that’s what we are going with. He’s a treasure, a delight, and a joy. Reason: His mom is my stepdaughter. I did’t have children of my own. Married to a man with a daughter. I got her at 13 and feel like I raised her to be the young beautiful woman she is. She calls me Mindy Mama, and she gave me the gift of a beautiful grandson.
Linda White says:
I always called my grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. Never anything else unless we stuck the last name with it to keep the 2 sides of the family separated. Im curious at what my grands will call me, my daughter named my mother Memaw all on her own. We never tried to encourage her to say what we wanted her to say. It was Memaw and Pepaw. And Nanny and PawPaw for husband’s parents.
gsdd74@gmail.com says:
I called them just plain ol’ Grandma and Grandpa.
Diane (Gran) says:
My wonderful grandparents were Nana and Grandpa and Nana (last name). My paternal grandfather passed away when I was 4. We were very fortunate to have kind, loving devoted grandparents. My parents were Nan and Pop, amazing grandparents. My Mother is now “Daddy’s Nan” to my grandchildren. My husband and I are Gran and Pop in our exciting new roles.
Amy Gerling says:
I called my Grandparents on my Dad’s side..Nanny and Poppy. My Grandmother on my Mom’s side was Boobie. It’s funny how my son calls my parents Ma and Pops and my Mother in Law- MeMa.
Teresa Woolson says:
I only remember my Grandfather who’m I called ‘Grandpa” My other grandparents were all deceassed before I can remember them. I absoulutely LOVE being a grandma and would love to win the book!!!
Ndozier says:
My parents and grandparents were from the “Old School”! I called my grandparents: Grandma and Grandpa Taylor and Grandma and Grandpa Murray. That was it! No other choices!
Now that I’m a grandmother, it’s a WHOLE different matter! I became a grandmother for the 1st time 2 years ago. Even before my grandson was born, names were being discussed.
The problem:
My son wants his son to call me Grandma like he called my mom. He loved her with every ounce of his being. So…he says he wants his son to call me Grandma in remembrance of her!
On the other hand, his wife wants me to be called Gigi! She thinks I’m a modern grandmother, who should have a modern name.
So… here we are! Our poor little man doesn’t know what the heck to call me! At this point, when I ask him who I am he always just says, “Grandma Gigi”! It appears that he has just solved the problem that the adults couldn’t!
I’d love to have this book! Lord knows I need it!
FabulousMimi says:
I loved my beloved grandparents very much. We called them Grandma and Grandpa (with their first names) although the cards were always signed “Grandma and PoPo” 🙂 Our grandsons call us MiMi and Poppy. We love our names–music to our ears 🙂
Janice Arledge says:
I didn’t have a grand father he died when I was a baby. But I had the most loving and attentive grandmother. I called her granma. I hope to be as great a “NAMA” to my grandchildren as she was to me.
Andy says:
What a wonderful time in our lives! Grandparenting has certainly changed since I had them! We are now allowed to have real FUN, be included in important ways in their lives; like the joy of giving dance lessons, sports equipment, cel phones and a vacation a year. Wouldn’t change it for the world!
ChristyJan says:
We called my maternal grandparents Grandma and Grandpa and my paternal grandparents were Bompy and Granny.
beth w. says:
I had a “Grandma” who meant the world to me, and a “Grandma Ruth” who didn’t seem to really like children…I spent the night with her one time.
I get so tickled listening to all my friends carefully choosing the names they want their precious grandchildren to call them. I just hope I am not called “deceased” by the time my kids decide to have children!
dar w. says:
Grandma Dolezal and Grandma Novotny … both very eastern european hard working women.
ShemCreek says:
My Mother’s parents were “Granny” and “PaDaddy”. My Dad’s father had already passed away but my Dad’s Mother was “Grandmother.”
rawraimey says:
I called my grandparents the traditional Korean titles of “Grandmother” and “Grandfather.” However, I also called an older couple of my church “Grandmother” and “Grandfather” because they really liked me and my sister and enjoyed taking care of us.
Renee says:
I called my Grandparents “Grandma and Grandpa”.
soap says:
Three of my grandparents passed away before I was age 5, so I had one grandfather on my mother’s side that remained, and surrogate grandmother that watched my younger sister and I for a short time. We were directed to call them Grandpa and Grandma (her last name). My grandfather was a traveling minister back & forth across the border to Mexico, and my surrogate grandmother was Cech, baked kolaches everyday, raised sheep & geese. Oh, the smell of yeast breads rising & baking wafting in her kitchen as you entered her home….
fwitt07 says:
I had one son and couldn’t wait to be a grandmother. The first was a boy and was the most loving, smart child ever! He started out calling me “Honey”. I thought it was fine, anything he called me was fine with me. But the parents didn’t think that was suitable so they started calling me “mema” an old souther term for grandma. The second child was a girl and was so fun. I find I have more time to be with the grands, and have more fun with them. I think with our own children we are so more focused on making sure they are raised to be all the world thinks they should be. with the grands, I can relax and have more fun.
ddeste says:
All the joy and pain of children with less guilt, not all yours and they can go home when you’re done with them.
suefaulkner2002 says:
My dad’s mom who was a precious woman and the true example of a grandmother we called, “Grandmommie” and her mom we called, “Granall” both wonderful women. My mothers mother on the other hand was a true example of how not to be a grandmother and we called her, “Grandmother”
My dreams are to have my grandson remember me like I remember Grandmommie and Granall!!!