GRANDMOTHERS SHARE PET NAMES

Grandma. Granny. Gram.

No matter what the pet name, grandchildren from throughout the area will be taking cards and gifts and lots of love to grandmothers around the region to celebrate Mother's Day today.

Just as there is no standard for how children refer to their parents, there are a myriad of names that grandmothers can be called. Some names are selected for the grandparent based on social or ethnic culture.

For example, derivations of the title Mother Dear are often used among southern black families to refer to a grandmother. And great-grandmothers often are called Big Momma to distinguish them from mothers or grandmothers.

Betty Chong, assistant superintendent of special services in the Cape Girardeau School District, said her granddaughter refers to her as "Pa pa", the Chinese word for grandmother.

Other grandmothers select the name they want to be called after the birth of their first grandchild. That's how Carol Drummond of Cape Girardeau became known as Mimi to her two grandsons. "That's what I wanted to be called, so I coached them to say it," said Drummond.

Sharon Wendel of Gordonville also selected her pet name, 'Gram'. "We kind of started them off that way because that's what I wanted to be called," she said.

Of course, not everything comes that easy. Willetta Brookins of Cape Girardeau wanted to be called 'Grandma', but her grandson was unable to say the word clearly. That's why she's known in grandparenting circles as 'Nana.'

"He couldn't say Grandma; it was just too much of a mouthful," said Brookins. "He heard my twins calling me 'Mama' so he tried that, but his mama didn't want him to call me that, so she told him to call me 'Nana.'"

Teresa Haubold also had a grandson who couldn't say 'Grandma'. Each time he tried, 'Bau Ma' came out instead, and the name stuck. "He calls his other grandmother Granny. When I sign his cards now I sign it 'Bau Ma,'" said Haubold.

Sometimes, children hear different terms used by family members. The result, as in the case of Kay Jones of Scott City, can be a hyphenated name. "Right now my youngest (granddaughter) calls me 'Nana- Grandma'," she said. "One called me 'Nana' and one calls me 'Grandma'. Now she sees what her sister calls me, so now she calls me 'Nana-Grandma'."

Some pet names are selected for no apparent reason. For example, Mary Blue's is kown to her grandchildren as MeeMaw. They call their other grandmother GranAnn. Her first name is Ann.

Other unusual pet names for grandmothers include Dodi, Na Na, Da Da, and Ni Ni.

"It's really fun to think about what they call us because we all have different names," said Haubold, who works in an office "full of grandmas." However, she said the differences are fun to note and help them to identify whose grandchild has walked through the door.

"If he walks through the door and yells out 'Bau Ma,' we know he belongs to me," she said.