GRAND Magazine - September/October 2016 - 7

grand names

CONNECT WITH GRAND

No matter what they call you,
it's music to your ears
BY DEBBY CARROLL

What's your story?

efore we became grandparents, we met a family in which
the grandkids called the grandmother, "Dick." Of course
we asked why. When the first grandchild was born, they
explained, she tried to say "Grandmother," but it came out
"Dick" and that stuck.
We wondered why they'd let that "stick," but were too polite
to inquire further. Later, my husband said wistfully, "Okay, if we
have grandkids I'll go as far as 'Schmuck,' anything worse than
that, I'm putting my foot down."
Some years later my daughter announced joyfully, "Get your
Schmuck T-shirt ready Dad, because I'm pregnant."
Our grandson Avery calls his grandfather, "G." My husband
figured that was easy to say and unlikely to morph into Schmuck.
But, Avery's only four. Who knows what he'll call "G" later?
7 GRAND

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2016

We asked GRANDS to share the story behind their names.
Many embraced the respectful and traditional names tied to
ethnicities and geography: Nonna in Italian families, Bubbe
in Jewish families, Yaya in Greek families, Mimi in Southern
families, Abuela among the Latinos and so on. Others felt
the traditional names depicted a woman older than they
way they saw themselves. They sought a more contemporary name.
Here are just a few of the many "name" stories.
Randy F.: My 4 year-old-grandson calls me Grandy for
Grandma and Randy. I'm happy with that. I just don't see
myself as Nanna or Bubby.
Beth B.: My 2-year-old-granddaughter calls me Beeebs.
Started out from a nickname I had while working, which
was BB. My son and D-I-L picked the name. I didn't
want a grandmotherly name; I wanted something more
memorable.

Debby Carroll is Avery's Grammy and the Director of
Strategic Development for GRAND. Upon discovering
how outdated the images of grandparents were in the
children's books she read to Avery, she decided to write
a new one on behalf of fabulous, real grandparents
everywhere. Real Grands: From A to Z, Everything a
Grandparent Can Be is available on Amazon here.

Looking for a Unique Gift for Your
Grandkids and to be Part of Their
Digital Lives? You Can Do Both With
Gingersnap Story Apps

Click on video to learn about this cool app!
Gingersnap™ was designed with grandparents in mind to treat
grandkids to a fun and educational personalized adventure.
Just 3 Easy Steps
#1 Download the story app from current collection to your iPhone
or iPad
#2 Add your grandchild's name
#3 Personalize it with a 'selfie' to become a character in the story
When you're happy with it, 'gift' the story to your grandchild, by
email or a physical postcard. They can then download their personalized story to their device.
Click here to try a free download
with an easy help guide and video

View our latest iPad collection in the App Store now

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - September/October 2016