Names for grandma

[missmartha]

My 2 and a half year old grandson calls me mar ma. The intention was that he would call me grandma but was unable to get his tongue around it and so mar ma has persisted.

My son rang me yesterday to tell me that his partner, the child's mother, is very, very upset about this and it has become an issue in their house. She feels it is too similar to mummy and wants it to stop.
Now apart from putting him on the naughty step every time he says it, which I wont do, I'm not sure how to how to handle it.
Actually I'm pretty sure he'll grow out of it in time.

She has texted me to say that he is quite capable of saying grandma/gran and she will keep correcting him until he gets it right.

I don't and wont undernmine his mum, but just feel this is a bit harsh, surely that is the way to undermine his self confidence.
Any ideas?

He's 2 and a half and although he doesn't have a speech defect he doesn't always get things right in the same way that many children his age.

She is being utterly ridiculous. He is 2 1/2. He will mispronounce things. He will get it eventually.

I’d be a bit annoyed if my DS was calling someone else Mama. Just persist with teaching him to say Grandma.

His mother understands the problem , or should, he doesn't.

But there isn't actually a problem.

Your DIL is being ridiculous. She sounds very OTT. My FIL is Grandad to everyone but one. When my nephew was small he heard MIL call FIL "John" and ever since (he's 12 now) he's called them Nana & John. Kids decided what they want to call someone. I think your DIL needs to come to terms with it.

I'm sure it will naturally correct itself in time. My dc used to call dh's mum mam mar, but at 6 he now says grandma. We didn't intervene it just naturally changed as he became older. He calls my mum nana.

My son has done exactly this. My mam was supposed to be grandma. She was mama from a year old to now (almost 10). It's more like marma now though.

Doesn't bother me one bit. I'm his mam/Mammy. She's his mama x

Just want to add my son has never had speech problems. That's just what he wants to call her

I have been rather surprised by my DiL's reaction to be honest.

My g/son has been calling me mar ma since he started to speak. I haven't done anything to encourage it and refer to myself as grandma. She has never said anything about it before, not a thing so I was rather surprised when my son rang me and have been even more surprised that she is refusing to speak to me, Contact by text only and I'm sure we could talk about it. My son tells me this has been a big issue for her for a long time. There has been no hint that this is the case.

I feel quite worried that she is apparently now (further text) fixating on correcting it. I'm not sure how you 'correct' this.
Kids get words arse backwards but it nearly always remedies itself.

He is also at the moment going through a hard time fitting into his new nursery school, there is a new baby and his parents are constantly on the verge of breaking up. There are problems at home, this is not high on the list it seems to me.

Maybe she’s fixated on this because it’s something she feels she can do something about. Sounds like not a happy house altogether, for any of them

I think you’re doing all you can do, OP. It’s annoying but you can’t fix it for her

I did something similar with my grandfather and the adults around me just kept saying "no its' granddad" until I said it "properly".

My grandad was disappointed as he loved it, so now my son knows him by that pet name as it's easier than "great grandad".

The intention was always for my Mam to be grandma but my eldest is nearly 11 and still calls her mommar. It’s his name he used from being tiny so it’s more special. She needs to get a life.

So you are aware that they are having problems, and you have decided that she is the problem.

My GD is the same age as your GC and she is perfectly capable of saying Nana.

To be honest I feel sorry for her

they sound nothing alike and it's not a big deal.