You can’t imagine the debates that went on in our household when it came to naming the grandparents for the first time. If you start factoring in inlaws and the inlaws’ inlaws, and everyone’s different traditions and expectations, it’s amazing we came to any agreement at all.
We certainly could have used You Can Call Me Hoppa: The Grandparents’ Guide to Choosing a Name That Fits by mom Lauren Charpio back in 2005. It’s one part thought starter, one part grandparent keepsake. And in fact it would be a great little grandparent gift as a way to announce a pregnancy.
The book includes some personal anecdotes about naming and a whole ton inspiration from around the globe from the traditional to the silly–yes, there’s a grandma out there who answers to “Fifi Foxy.” In the back of the book, there’s a grandparent name family tree and a page to fill in the names you settle on.
Wouldn’t you know it, we ended up with names that aren’t in the books at all. Grandma Amye was just meant to be called Grammye.
