jun, 16th - granny, a bad word....

[Limi with her head-sized Easter egg sent to her by her Lola]

day 127:

I was chatting to some friends the other day and they were saying that their mums' didn't want to be referred to as grannies (for both, it's the first grandchild so a big transition from mum to granny). I said: 'what do they want to be called?' They said: 'Debbie and Karen'. 

I completely respect that some women just don't feel ready to take the step towards the blue rinse (can't imagine Madonna ever being tugged on the leotard by small hands and a small mouth pleading: 'Granny, granny can you sing Like a Virgin just one more time.') But in my view, grandparents are special (you don't get many unless you're Liz Taylor's progeny, then you get multiple granddads) and so it seems a shame that you don't have a special name for them. When you chat to Greek friends, they call their grans Yaya, Italians generally refer to theirs as Nonna and Afrikaans speakers, Ouma. I love this connection with your heritage. 

Our grandparents were Granny and Grandpa Pete (mum's side) and Granny and Grandpa P (dad's side). It makes the retelling of stories about them all the more significant for us....like...'Remember Granny P's amazing cake decorating skills and letting us taste a delicate sugar flower...and Granny Pete's wonderful cuddles.' It really cements their importance in our life.

So when we had Limi, we asked what our parents would like to be called. My mum and stepdad went for Lola and Lolo, they're already called this by my nephews and nieces. My dad went for Mdala (Dali), an African word meaning 'he is old' and A.'s folks decided on Nan and Grandpa Bill. I love that Limi will have these special names for special people!