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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want DC to use Nan/Nana

294 replies

treehousepicture · 10/08/2015 09:52

I have just never liked this word and think I prefer grandma or similar but is it up to the person what they are called?

OP posts:
TheOriginalSteamingNit · 10/08/2015 11:05

Of course in lots of cases, it doesn't really matter what the grandparents or the parents prefer, or what lengthy discussions they have - their names might well come from some charming mispronunciation or misapprehension of the GCs' anyway, and end up sticking! All of ours did....

PercyGherkin · 10/08/2015 11:06

My mother is Granny - she had a Granny, her mother was my Granny. I think part of it when people get upset is that you kind of want your children to have the grandparent names you did (particularly if grandparents have passed away) but of course they are different people, and different family traditions, so it doesn't always work out that way.

My mother did consider being a Grannie instead but changed her mind thank goodness - hard enough to get cards with "Granny" on!

Dowser · 10/08/2015 11:06

Oh and no first names only either thank you very much. There's only 6 people in the world that are allowed to call me nana so that's what I'm sticking too. Nana's rules or nana rules ;-)

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 10/08/2015 11:07

My parents are grandma and grandad. We've never had any other name in the family for grandparents so it wouldn't have occurred to us to use any other word.

Thankfully the children have zero contact with their dad's mother, as she was determined that she was going to be nanaSoo and it made my teeth itch as did she but that's a whole other thread. If the children see their dad's dad (rare, but happens now and again) he's Grandad R and all concerned are happy.

If my children have children I would cope with anything except nan/nana/nanny. I think I'd rather be known by my given name than any of those.

cellnev · 10/08/2015 11:09

My fathers mum wanted to be called granny as she said a nanny is a babysitter, my mothers mum said she wanted to be called nanna as the name granny made her feel old. So we had nanna and grandad and granny and grampy. It definitely made things easy for our parents as they knew straight away what grandparent we were referring to

CatsRule · 10/08/2015 11:10

As much as I dislike the sound of Nana often mistaken for banana with young children I do think grandparents should get to choose. My mil chose Nana...her choice.

Plus children will call them what they want! My mum chose Gran and ds calls her Grannyday.

When my Grans were alive my sister and I called them Gran Surname.

I don't think there are rights or wrongs here.

MrsDeVere · 10/08/2015 11:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ReganHero · 10/08/2015 11:11

I don't like nannie because of my my nannie dragon

ollieplimsoles · 10/08/2015 11:11

My mil has been really fixated on it, she REALLY didn't want to be nanna, my mum wanted nanna so it worked out now.

My little siblings in Sweden call their grandma 'momo' (Mormor) and that sounds so cute!

I really like 'nin' and 'mamie' too

MrsDeVere · 10/08/2015 11:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Quietlifenotonyournelly · 10/08/2015 11:13

My MIL asked to be called nana as she felt grandma made her sound oldand we respected that so DCs do. I prefer grandma as we called our great grandma nana so to me made her (MIL) sound old. So opposite views on that one.

Quietlifenotonyournelly · 10/08/2015 11:13

Strike through fail.

Tenieht · 10/08/2015 11:13

Nan is common!

NeedsAsockamnesty · 10/08/2015 11:14

I doubt a young Nana would like to be Grandma. In our family my grandma was my Nana's mum

I was in my late 30's when I first became a grandparent, I would hate to be called nanny or any variation of it. In my world that's a reference to an employee.

WeAllHaveWings · 10/08/2015 11:14

in my family and most families I know its always been gran and granpa.

MIL wanted nana as she's very shallow thinks it posher. I think sounds very babyish, at bit like mummy, especially as the gc grow older. Grates on my nerves every time ds(11) says it, especially as he doesn't see or speak to her often so even he says it awkwardly.

ollieplimsoles · 10/08/2015 11:14

And this thread is reminding me of a scene in Absolutely Fabulous:

"Surely you can think of a more appropriate name for that theiving old person can't you?, like 'moomie' or 'nanu'...or OLD KAKA!"

Makes me laugh everytime this comes up haha

Verbena37 · 10/08/2015 11:15

My MIL and my mum are both Nana to all their grandchildren. They wanted to be called it and as I've always called my own grandmother nanny /nan, it seems normal. I think grandma only suits older grandmothers.

AuntyMag10 · 10/08/2015 11:17

Where I'm originally from nana is another word for boob, nan is a formula and Nannie is a maid so we don't use any variations of it. Grandma or grandpa is the norm.

noeffingidea · 10/08/2015 11:17

I don't get the 'children will call them what they want' thing either. They'll call them by the name they learn, same as any other name.
Going back to the 'nanny' = goats thing, that's exactly what my Mum used to say, and why she wanted to be called Grandma. But she was brought up rurally, where goats are a thing.
Similarly Nanny as a paid employee aren't a thing to me either, so there's no conotations to me. I can see there might be for other people though.

Sootgremlin · 10/08/2015 11:18

in my world that's a reference to an employee

What a very small and privileged world that is.

Tenieht · 10/08/2015 11:18

Nan sounds common

CrystalMcPistol · 10/08/2015 11:20

I don't like Nan, Nana, Nanny either.

feckitall · 10/08/2015 11:21

I am 'Grandma' ...Nanny was my DGM...always seemed like the 'oldest' term..I would rather not be one at all but that's a whole thread on its own! Grin They are gorgeous though..I luffs them..

Coffeemarkone · 10/08/2015 11:21

Nana/Nanny is dreadful though IMO.
They are not goats are they? NO.

MrsGentlyBenevolent · 10/08/2015 11:22

I was thinking of that as well, Ollie Grin.

Can I ask as well, as English 'tradition' somewhat confused me - do children who have more than one 'Nana and Grampa' really use their names when they are with them? For example if one is Granny Joan, do the kids drop the 'Joan' when alone with her? I find it really odd to add first names to grandparents, where I'm from you say Nain Rhyl or Nain and Taid Bala (where they live) to differentiate in conversation, but they were just Nain a Taid in company.