To stop the 'nicknames'?

[PrtyPsn]

Expecting DS1 very soon and starting to think about when he's here.
OH's parents already have grandchildren from his siblings. When their first grandchild was learning to talk, they mispronounced 'Granny' and 'Grandpa' (as young children often do) it was cute and funny at the time but the in laws encouraged it.
Now, several grandchildren later (all at an age of speaking perfectly well) they all still refer to their grandparents as these mispronunciations.
It really grates on me - I come from a child education background so I know how frustrating it is when children use alternative words for something and teaching children to mispronounce a word is a big pet hate of mine.
So, AIBU to ask them to stop this for my child? It's not a habit I want him to fall into and definitely not something that will happen with any other family members but it's clear they like it as they've done it for years.

Unless the 13 year olds in the family ask for Lello peppers in the greengrocers and gish gingers and nana splits in cafes and eat 'ossidge rolls at parties, I think you could drop your worry that it leads to bad habits.

You know, once your baby is born and you and it's proud grandparents are so overwhelmed with love and you drop all self conciousness about squidgy cooing language you may well find that this pales into insignificance.

You may be overthinking things and trying to control the future.

Save your OP and look back on it in 3 years time.

YANBU, I think that different nicknames for grandparents are endearing and lovely. Also, I can't see the harm in them using them. Presumably by this age they can pronounce the real words, and know that these nicknames are just that.

I'm assuming it's something like I've heard friends use (e.g. Gamma and Gandy etc). I always think it's kind of nice that they've got something personal rather than the generic Grandma and Grandpa!

Sorry, I mean YABU!

I also come from a 'child education background' but let the DC's call their grandparents what they liked

I, as well, come from a 'child education background' and see that alternative names for someone within the family often come about naturally, almost organically (I hope I don't sound like an ageing hippy by saying that), and can be very appealing.

My mum still refers to her now, dead, Aunt as 'Ayi'. We all called her Ayi actually. I think it's nice to have a nickname for family members and is hardly going to cause a child speech problems or anything. Major chill pill required

Nicknames are not mispronunciation. Just because your child might call his dads dad gampy or something will not mean he doesn't know the words grandpa, grandad, grandfather. He'll hear all the above in life and books and tv.
You can even say "yes, Grammy (or whatever) is your grandad"

My 90 year old beloved grandfather died in October, I had a shortened nickname for him that I used from being a baby until the day he died, wouldn't have had it any other way.

I think it's endearing.

I am also from a 'child education background' by the way. Children are bright enough to know the difference between nicknames and the 'proper' term for someone.

It's lovely to see the range of family names on Family Trees at school. Speaking as a 'child educator'.

Another yabu from me. DS couldn't pronounce his big brother's name as a toddler and so he has always been "Caiggy" rather than Craig even now DS is a strapping 17 year old. It has stuck just because it makes us smile. Is it because someone else's child has made the original mispronunciation? Look, even the Queen is called Gangan.

Look at it this way OP. You meet a woman called Rebecca. She's not keen on the name Rebecca and asks everyone to call her Becky, so everyone does. You find Becky a bit cringe so insist on calling her Rebecca and instruct your DC to do so also. Do you feel that this is reasonable behaviour?

I come from a child education background

Wow! Really OP

You need to lighten up, OP. I haven't read the thread yet but you're being ridiculous.

I actually think it's up to the grandparents what their preferred title is. We had nanny and grandad for our toddler (it was daddad but we beat that out of her by 2)

I can just see this op

Baby's first word: mama
You: that's great darling but it's 'mother'

Although I did walk in to sainsburys when I was 21 and asked where the 'dumpty cups' were. They looked at me like I was mad. I told my mum that they didn't have any, and she explained they are actually called sippy cups. I never bloody knew.

TwattyMcTwatterson* speaks sense - that's what you are doing here.

You still aren't suggesting your DC call their grandparents by their actual names. From your posts, it reads lke you are actually planning on teaching your DC to call their grandparents by a different nickname, still not using their actual names or the "formal title" like Grandmother, Grandfather.

It's a tradition in a great many families for grandparents to adopt the names (ie mispronunciations) attributed to them by the first born grandchild. You are being extremely uptight about this and it has bugger all to do with child development - you just find the names aggravating.

Hesterton

First off, your dc don't need to call dgp by the same names. My dc and my bil dc call my mil/fil by different names. Funnily enough my dd and ds call my dm/df by different names too. However, if one child picks up a name from someone else you are going to look a prat if you correct them when it is a well established name.

My dd is under SALT and I asked her specifically about mispronunciations staying as nick names. She said if the nick name sticks because a child can't pronounce the actual word, then it isn't a nickname. It's a mispronunciation which should be an indicator of bigger issues. If they can pronounce the proper word (or are on their way) then it isn't a problem. It's just a nickname.

Don't mind cutesy family nicknames, hell I'm in my 20s and still get called my NN by my family.

Although my brother vetoed my mothers idea to insist on we all refer to her as "Glam-Ma" when his first child was due. Was her first grandchild and she thought she was too young and glamorous for grandma or nanna hence Glam-Ma

Your child can call their grandparents what you want them to.

My MIL is called two different names, in different languages, by her two sets of grandchildren. She answered to both, and the grandkids are now nearly adults.

DH and I did not want her to be called what his Dsis's kids called her, so we chose the regional variation for our kids to call her. Caused no problems.

I am a teacher with a first class honours degree in English. My daughter calls her Grandfather "Gangan". Does this mean I have to hand my certificate back?

Sorry but you sound like a miserable fucker. How precious. The GPs should be the ones who chose if their GCs call them by an organically evolved name.

In our house, diggers are known as "scratchy scratchy claws".

My DSs are 10 and 15. They manage to communicate with others pretty well. Nobody has died.

Has anyone actually asked the grandparents concerned what they would like to be called? Surely Granny/Nanny etc are actually nicknames for Grandmother and Grandfather anyway?

hesterton

OP, have any of these responses changed your mind on the matter? Do you understand that social language is just as important as 'correct' language? In fact, the more 'correct' a person's language is, the less fluent they sound in speech. A natural speaker has oddities and uniqueness in how they use language, quirks are not 'wrong'.

On a side note, may I guess that you're specifically naming your child something that either can't be shortened, or will make a big to-do about using the full name - 'it's Alexander, not Alex!'.