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Original poster

Anyone else's Grandma....

425 replies

me4real · 16/09/2021 03:50

I happened to see this mentioned somewhere presumably as a joke, but my nan insisted on being called Grandma, as she said nan was a goat etc etc.

I hadn't heard the above reason until my uncle mentioned it a while back. Also presumably she thought it common.

I always thought it was sooo formal - quasi-Victorian, although she will've been born in about 1915 or something. She died in the early 90s. I don't recall ever challenging the status quo.

She wasn't well off financially or anything.

Anyone else?

OP posts:
Livinthedream84 · 17/09/2021 17:48

Mother in law said nana was common and she wanted to be called grandma.

Kids are teenagers now and call her granny which annoys her because she says it makes her feel old haha

CreamFirstThenJamOnTop · 17/09/2021 17:53

I had a Granny & Grandad and a Grandma & Grandpa growing up…. They chose what they wanted to be called.

I always thought Nan and Nana sounded common for some reason.

DC’s grandmother (my MIL) has chosen to be called Grandma…. though DH grew up with Nanny and Nana.

Oresome · 17/09/2021 17:53

Both my grandmothers were ‘Granny X’ with the ‘X’ changing over time. My mother is Granny and MIL is going down the same route of ‘Granny X’ with the X changing according to how the grandchildren pronounce it.

Nanny is either someone who provides paid childcare or a female goat in our household (not that we have either!)

Harmonypuss · 17/09/2021 17:55

The standard in my family has always been mum's mum is 'nan/nanny' and dad's mum is 'gran/grandma/granny'.

Gran does sound older than nan and in our case our gran was the elder of the two ladies.

I've got 2 sons which would mark me as gran if either were to have children and I'm not so keen to be called gran. Fortunately, but of my sons (currently 25 and 32) have assured me that neither of them had any intention of ever subjecting any child to this world.... phew! Great escape for me!

Mum5net · 17/09/2021 17:59

My DM wanted Grandma which is now shortened to GMA. Sounds as Gee-ma.

mrsevangelina · 17/09/2021 18:00

Nan was 'common' in our family, so it was grandma.

shinynewapple21 · 17/09/2021 18:02

I have a friend in her 50's who has become a grandmother fairly recently and she has said she wants to be known as grandma to her grandchild . So it's not just older grandmothers .

plumpynoo · 17/09/2021 18:02

Always grandma for us. A Nanny is someone you employ, not a relation! Don't know if that's a Scottish thing ( mother's family from Troon area! )

Dandymax1 · 17/09/2021 18:03

My grandparents were nana and granda, my great grandmothers were grandma. It was the easiest way to differentiate them in conversation. My kids call my mam nana and my husband's mam, grandma. Keeps it simple.

mbosnz · 17/09/2021 18:04

Kiwi here. Mum insisted on being 'Grandmum'. And then got resoundingly pissed off when my MIL, without knowing what Mum got called, went for the same thing, apparently she thought she had copyright! Now MIL has evolved from Grandmum to Gma.

SweetieP1e · 17/09/2021 18:08

I call my grandmother by her first name as this was how I was brought up. I learnt as a teenager that she didn't want people to think she was old so wouldn't let us call her nanny/nan/ grandma, etc. I was her fourth grandchild and it wasn't until the 11th grandchild that she got called nan
(and felt the same way about mum)

DonatellaVersace · 17/09/2021 18:09

I have a Nana. DM also wants to be Nana because she thinks ‘Grandma’ sounds old. My MIL’s current only grandchild calls her Nana so she wants to continue with that theme so our kids will have two Nanas.

inappropriateraspberry · 17/09/2021 18:11

Hate the name Nan and calling children kids - both goaty! What's wrong with grandma or granny?

JaninaDuszejko · 17/09/2021 18:31

I had a Grandma and a Nana and my Mum is Grandma and MIL is the name from her country. FIL wasn't sure what name he wanted. So I suggested Granddad which he thought was common Hmm and Grandpa which he though was 'suitably dignified'. So Grandpa he was.

Mumontour85 · 17/09/2021 18:35

My son has a granny and a nannan. Honestly, (and she meant no offense), my very white middle class mum thought Nan was a bit chavvy, which I don't agree with at all, but Granny she wanted and Granny she is! So I guess there are certain elements from the olden days in that perspective that still say that Grandma/ Granny is bit posher. My dad is Grandpops or Pop Pop though, so nothing posh there!
For me, Nana is the dog from Peter Pan 🤣

Harls1969 · 17/09/2021 18:35

My grandmother was always Nanny/Nan. My DC call one Nanny and the other Nanny (first name) to differentiate. My mum's other grandchild calls her granny because other grandparent is Nanny. If my DC ever hurry up and make me a grandparent, I'd also be Nanny. I guess it's personal choice and what you're used to

waitingpatientlyforspring · 17/09/2021 18:35

In my family we have Nana which my dh hates and thinks sounds common. Our dc are stil dc so being grandparents are years off yet we still argue about me being call Nana 😂

MargaretThursday · 17/09/2021 18:37

@me4real

I happened to see this mentioned somewhere presumably as a joke, but my nan insisted on being called Grandma, as she said nan was a goat etc etc.

I hadn't heard the above reason until my uncle mentioned it a while back. Also presumably she thought it common.

I always thought it was sooo formal - quasi-Victorian, although she will've been born in about 1915 or something. She died in the early 90s. I don't recall ever challenging the status quo.

She wasn't well off financially or anything.

Anyone else?

My MIL says the same.

My mum is Granny, and I think it sounds warmer, and that's what I shall be too.

Geekynzmum · 17/09/2021 18:44

I had one grandmother who was GranGran and another who was Grandmother as we never really knew her (only met her once when I was 11).
My daughter calls my mum Nanny and DH's mum either Nana or Nanny depending on how she's feeling lol. 🙂

Nanny0gg · 17/09/2021 18:51
RickJames · 17/09/2021 18:54

Mine were called Gran and Nana. My mum wanted Grandma.

Personally I think Nana sounds a bit like the naughty one. My Nana was always pissed or on tablets so would come out with funny stuff Grin. Gran drank sherry but she was super respectable.

When I become a grandmother I think I'd like to be a Nana just because it makes me laugh. Bless my Nana she was dreadful but she never hurt or upset me, I always just found her astonishing and she let me hammer on her piano and always gave me a tenner forced into my hand with her claw-like arthritis hand. Lol, she was something else, bless her.

Mirw · 17/09/2021 18:58

I had a Nana and a Grand, and a Nanna. And cherry on the cake a Great Grand father who was my Pumps Grand as he worked in a petrol station.

RickJames · 17/09/2021 18:59

Yes, PP,

My mum thinks Nana is common!!

I'm going to be a mad Nana. Can't wait Grin

Suzypoo10 · 17/09/2021 18:59

Two sets of grandparents - Grandma & Grandpa and Nanny & Grandad

55larry · 17/09/2021 19:09

My maternal grandmother was Granny as was my mother and for sometime I was called Branny by my grandson as he couldn’t say granny but am now known as Granny. His other grandmother who died when he was three months old would have been nana as that is what his cousins called her.

My other grandmother was Welsh and called Nana but I didn’t know my paternal grandfather.

My grandfather was called Papa as my cousin couldn’t say Grandpa and my Dh is now Papa because Dgs again couldn’t say Grandpa. My fil was called Grandpop and my sil father is Grandad.

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