What's in a Name?

On a Labor Day, not too long ago, my son and daughter-in-law shared the happy news that they were going to be parents!  There I was, shedding tears of joy, picturing my son in his role as a father, when a thought interrupted my daydream:  The quest for the perfect grandma moniker must commence!

It was an interesting concept to ponder that, for the first part of my life, I answered to a name that was chosen for me before anyone actually even knew me. When I realized that I would have an opportunity to choose my own name, one that reflected who I have come to be, I jumped at the chance and set to work immediately.  

 Presenting my first suggestion to my family, it received a lukewarm (at best) reception - perhaps due to its lack of any association with grandparenting. (I'll come back to this!)

I needed a Plan B, C, D, E.... "Grandmamá?" - a bit too stuffy.  "Mim?" - too curt.  "M'Lady?" - way too formal. "Grandy?" - cute, but has the potential of being braggadocious, with too much emphasis on being "grand".  The more suggestions I tossed out, the more I found fault with each of them.

Google, here I come! 

My search bar, empty, the cursor taunting me with its rhythmic blinks, daring me to be different and find THE most befitting title for my upcoming new position.  The lists of grandparent names were endless!

There were abbreviated versions of familiar grandma names, such as "Gran", "Gram", and "G-ma" - all quite acceptable but they just didn't feel like me.

Plenty of same-two-syllable-names appeared in my pursuit, like "NayNay", "TuTu", "BiBi", "GoGo", "ChaCha", and more.  Yet, none of these resonated.

Names reminiscent of happy tunes - "LaLa", "Nah-Nah", "BaBa", "DeeDee".  Nope, nope, nope, and still nope!

While selecting an appropriate title was of utmost importance to me, I also had to consider my soon-to-be "grandcookie".  I realized there were a couple of things I had to take into account.  For example:  Would the baby be able to pronounce this name? Is it a name that will stand the test of time, or will it seem too babyish once the child is a teenager?

With the impending arrival of our newest family member drawing closer, my highly sought-after grandma name seemed ever more elusive.

How could Google have failed me?  Doesn't Google have the answer to everything?

Lamenting the evasion of a fitting reference to my approaching "grandmotherhood", I confessed to my daughter that, of all the names I had poured over during the past several months, the one that kept rising to the top was, of course, the first one I had proposed (without Google's assistance, by the way!), you know, the one with the lukewarm reception.  With the confidence and conviction I wish that I possessed, she piped up:

"You do you, Queen!"

So, did!

Knowing that I wanted to be a bright spot in this child's life, and that I hoped to reflect optimism and happiness, even when the world's imperfections seem to loom before us like a dark cloud, I embraced my chosen name without worrying what others thought.  I "tried it on" a few more times for good measure, and the fit was perfect!  Indeed, I need to be me in every role I undertake in life - including this one.

And that, My Friends, is how I came to be "Sunny" to the sweetest, funniest, smartest little grandcookie I could ever have hoped to imagine!

                                                           

© Cre8ive Writes, LLC 2022