I didn't realize how strange nicknames were to some people until I went to my great aunt's 90th birthday party this weekend. I was talking to my dad's cousin about my grandma and aunt. I called them by their nicknames (Gaga and Shark) and my 2nd cousin said, "Who's that?" I said to her my grandma and aunt. My 2nd cousin said, "I, in all my life, have never heard them called that." I told her those are the only names I have ever called them. She replied with, "Hmmmm." So, I started thinking about all the nicknames we have in our family. There are a great many. I seemed to have named a lot of people in my youth...lol. Read on...
Growing up my nickname was Hoosh. I couldn't say my "real" name and called myself Hoosh instead. To this day my mom and dad, aunts and uncles, hell even my doctor calls me Hoosh.
My mom's nickname is Itt. When she and my dad got engaged they went to my grandma and grandpa's house for supper and to tell them. My dad said, "Well, this is it, we are going to get married." Thus Itt was born. Over 40 years now and she is still called Itt.
My dad's nickname is Bug Juice. Not sure why. I'm sure it is some manly, macho thing from his youth that I really don't want to know about.
My grandma's nickname is Gaga. I named her that right around the time I named myself. We all call her Gaga, my mom and dad, my aunt, my kids, my husband. It has stuck.
My aunt's (dad's sister) name is Shark. My dad named her that many moons before I was born when they were playing cards. I guess she is a "card shark". We all call her Shark including her husband.
My aunt's husbands nickname is Sam. That's not his "real" name and I'm not sure where it comes from but we all call him Sam and he answers to it.
My aunt's ex-husbands nickname was Ga. I also named him that right around the time I named myself and my Gaga.
Chip's nickname is Bear. My MIL named him that when he was a birdling. She still calls him that as so we sometimes.
Dill's nickname is Wicker. My dad started calling him Wicker-in-the-works when he was a pup. He still does. It's strange.
Sweet's nickname is Miss. I guess that one is self explanatory.
I call Cool Boo. I named him that when we were first dating. I gave him a card that said, "Happy Halloween to my Sweet Baboo". It was a Peanut's card and very cute. Thus, Boo began. He still is my sweet baboo.
I have several aunt's on my mom's side of the family who have nicknames too. Gepetto (named after the kindly Gepetto from Pinocchio), Beaner (who knows where that came from), Dolf and Hess (my mom and one of her sisters when they are in charge of some big event, should be self explanatory), Trina (not sure where this one came from either). My cousins seem to have nicknames too: Chicky, DK, Flee, Tiger. And they are still called that.
Are we really all that weird or do other families have the nickname obsession that we have? Do you have nicknames? Does your family have nicknames? How far back to they date?
2 comments:
LOL, i think that's really sweet!
we do some nicknames, but not many. when my daughter was really little she couldn't say my brother's name "tim", so i told my bro, "she can't say your name, pick a new one", so he picked "bob," which, coincidentally was a name she was good at because she was a fan of both veggietales (bob the tomato) and bob the builder at the time. bob stuck for several years until she was finally able to say "uncle tim" and it doesn't seem to come up anymore.
my mom called my dad "rabbi" for years when i was little...which, according to the story, means teacher in hebrew. i don't know for sure if it does or not, but my dad was/is a preacher, so it was appropriate. she didn't stop calling him that until we moved to NJ, where there was such a large jewish community it didn't seem appropriate anymore.
for pretty much our entire childhood my brother was "meatball"...a family story goes along with that...but i won't detail it here since i've already typed a lot. LOL! he's not called this anymore though.
in our family now, we don't really have any specific nicknames for ourselves or our kids...just the normal terms of endearment "baby", "sweetie", "honey", etc. i do sometimes call my kiddos "boobah"...but they don't answer to it.
i deliberately gave my children really unique names that i am very proud of, maeven and tyren (TEERen), so i think that might be part of why i wouldn't want to call them any nicknames, though. didn't realize that at the time, but its just sorta how it went. :)
but i don't think you're weird, i think its quirky! and in my book, quirky is a good thing! LOL!
That is one unusual bunch of nicknames! My mom's family was the same way. I (Steph) was "Sam," Mom (Patricia) was "Tee," and my grand father (Ralph) was "Buster." Go figure. :-)
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