Names for Grandparents

Christmas in Ohio 1930 with Grandparents

Do You Want a Traditional Grandma Name?

I fully understand author Lauren Charpio’s parents’ thinking when they didn’t want to be called the traditional names of Grandma and Grandpa.

In my own book, Who Gets to Name Grandma? I included stories ranging from a dyslexic child’s naming her grandmother Mugga, to a friend who called her grandma Rick-Rick because she smoked, to a friend of mine who adopted the name G-Mom, as hip and smart.

Boomer grandparents-to-be, author Chapio’s parents wanted names more suitable for their self-image.

How Does a Young Mother Feel About Her Boomer Grandparents’ Wishes?

Out of this experience, author and mother Lauren Charpio wrote You Can Call Me Hoppa! The Grandparents’ Guide to Choosing a Name That Fits.

The book lists both traditional and different names for a grandmother by describing the stories from friends and family about how they came to have their grandmother and grandfather names.

Grammie and Hoppa became the author’s chosen grandparent names – Hoppa because their granddaughter could not pronounce “Grandpa.”

And, for the same reasons we are all charmed by the cute stories that come with made-up names, they all quickly adopted the unique “Hoppa.”

What Other Ways Do Grandparents Choose Their Names?

Charpio has collected dozens of stories.

From “Boo,” for the grandmother who was always playing Peek-a-Boo, to the former Wall Street executive who wanted to be called “Chief,” and the former surfer, who’s now called “Grand-Dude.”

Charpio’s sweet stories capture the angst for Boomer parents of being thought of and called grandparents that is so at odds with our vision of ourselves.

Charpio has turned this life-changing event into a series of charming vignettes about how grandparents have come to welcome not only the fact of grandparenthood, but the image of themselves as grandparents.

She has incorporated photos and designed pages to highlight the short stories. There are chapters for traditional, cultural, personal and baby-named names.

There is even a form where you can submit your own story, for possible inclusion in the next book.

How To Tell Your Parents You’re Expecting

Probably the author’s sweetest suggestion is to use this book as a way for young couples to tell their parents they are expecting.

We grew up with television stories in which a young wife announced to her husband that they were expecting by holding up baby booties she was knitting.

What a delightful way to tell grandparents-to-be that they are expecting by handing them a book that will start the conversation about grandparent names.

Have fun! You can order the book through amazon here: You Can Call Me Hoppa!

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You can order our book through amazon here: Who Gets to Name Grandma? The Wisdom of Mothers and Grandmothers.

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