After spending nearly a week with our sweet granddaughter Lola, I am already fantasizing about the days when she'll start to go beyond cooing and gurgling gleefully and start using words. I have been told that the first grandchild determines your "new name."
Some children come up with rather convoluted tongue-twisters for their grandparents, apparently meshing whatever adult names are thrown around with some form of "grand____." Hence, my sister-in-law is called "Mary-Ma" (not sure of the spelling). Sometimes it's an ethnic name. Those can be fun if they actually show lineage: Mormor, Farmor, Bestafar, Bestamor, etc. (again, forgive any spelling errors).Let's you know whether the grandparent is on mom's or dad's side. Right now we are taking the third common route: calling ourselves "Grandma Jody" and "Grandpa Bill." Whether these names stick or not will ultimately be up to Lola and her parents, but my guess is there is a good chance they will.
Funny thing is, before Lola was born I really didn't relish the moniker "grandma" in any way shape, or form. It wasn't the concept, it was the WORD. Too many connotations that rang of decrepitude in my mind. Funnier still, though, is how I flash that name around constantly now like a badge of achievement or a medal of honor. All it takes is a little dose of reality and a large dose of grandchild to change everything. :-)
