Grandparents “Names”… do we get a choice?

I have quite a soft spot for Moomar and Poopar - as Manny in Black Books calls his GPs!

My dad is Grumpa. I think it's cute.

A friend's DD, aged about 7, suddenly said to her grandparents out of the blue "I don't like calling you Granny and Grandad; I shall call you Shirley and Roger!"

Their actual names were nothing like Shirley and Roger!!

I think it's sweet, my mum picked what she wanted to be called but my dad didn't... As is common looking at this thread, the first grandchild couldn't pronounce Grandad so he got a nickname which he dislikes but all the grandchildren picked up 🤣 best to decide now I think 🤣

Find out why he wants to be Grumpy. If it’s because that’s what he called his own Grandad then it’s quite sweet & you may be reconciled to it.

Orherwise, maybe Grampy?

My dad is called Andy and insists on being called Gandy - which is really weird to shout out loud but there ya go 🤣

I had the first DGC on my side and the first in almost two decades on my DH’s side, so there was a bit of a to do over choosing grandparent names. We told everyone that as long as it wasn’t a “parent name” like Mama, Dada, Mom, Daddy, etc… we were fine with it. We also reminded them that our DC might choose to call them something else or mispronounce their chosen name.

Everyone but my MIL was reasonable. She kicked off because she wanted to be Mama or Mom. This is what her adult DGC always called her because their parent was fine with it. She has form for overstepping boundaries. My DH told her that those names were reserved for me, the actual mother of his child, and she needed to choose something else. She refused, so she became Grandma Firstname. My kids are teens now and she still sometimes tries to refer to herself as Mom, but my kids are quick to correct her.

Haha. Grumpy did make me laugh.

I do find the intense focus by grandparents on their new name a bit strange though. I remember it stressing me out a bit towards the end of pregnancy.

Both our respective mums (no dads on the scene) said they wanted to be "Nonna". Which would be fine, except that neither has any links whatsoever with Italy!? I gently steered them away from that... Nana was a compromise for one.

Mil tried her names. They didn't stick as myself and dh used other names and they stuck. I'd go with gramps

Meh, I’d let them pick but I’d probably pronounce it more like “grampy” when discussing him to the child because I agree it’s stupid.

Probably never asked but all us grand kids used to call our grandad grumps 😂

First answer nails it.
You do you, let them do them.

I only put my foot down when my insane ex MIL wanted my DD to call her mum. That’s not happening.

My mum refused to have any sort of nicknames and just wanted to be called by her first name. I thought it was a bit odd but whatever.

I had a Grumpy - and he absolutely wasn’t. He was known as Grumps to my kids. He was wonderful, and I miss him every day. His name just evolved - we didn’t plan it.
See what happens when your little one arrives. His name may end up as something completely different

I called one of my grannies Granny Chips. She tried and tried to get me to call her Nanny, like all the cousins did, and my dad called her Nanny, but as soon as I was old enough to talk she was Granny Chips and that's what she stayed, because the only time I was allowed chips was when we visited her. The grandparents can insist all they want, but kids will choose what they want to use.

My grandad was Grumpy! By name and by nature. Suited him down to a tea and we loved the novelty of calling him grumpy when we were kids!

Call him Grampy. If they correct you just say you keep forgetting.

My Dad chose Grumpy too! I actually love it (not least because it suits him quite well!). The kids frequently shorten it to “Grumps” which is I think pretty endearing. And as a plus, you have an endless supply of Father’s Day gifts in seven dwarfs merchandise 😂

I agree, that’s a hill i would die on. I will never ever on this earth be a Nan or Nanny. My MIL was a Nana (never nan) I am actually not sure how that came about so at an absolute push i might live with that but my preference would be Grandma as that’s the norm for all my grandmothers and my mum who were all grandmas

The grandparents decide what they want to be called. (Unless they want to be something that implies they are the c patent, e.g. "mama").

My children have my parents - Granny and Grandad, and my dh's parents - Granny and Grumps. Not my decision and it doesn't affect me - it's what their older cousin already called them before our children were born.

I come from an area where everyone is a Nana and Grandad, but my mum wanted Granny, so we moved away from family tradition. Again, her choice. My aunty is GaaGaa to her grandchildren, and a friend's grandmother was called Pat, so they called her Granpat.

Incorrect.

Doesn't mummy teach you to say please?

^ This is not teaching a child to say please. This is a toxic passive aggressive dig, and I wouldn’t allow any unhealthy emotional toxicity around me or my children.

Ah I see. That's quite par for the course where I grew up, grandparents pretty much trump parents!

My dad is called Grumpy. Not actually, but by my daughter. He suits it too 😂

She would cut grandparents out if they criticised her parenting to her child.

I'm confused. You would cut out grandparents for teaching your child to say please?

Anyway, I think Grumpy is quite a sweet name!