Becoming Granny

Deciding what you would like to be called upon becoming a grandparent can be, for some people, a difficult issue to deal with.  I know some people who have wrestled with it until the day of their grandchild’s birth.  And the choices are so numerous … Grandma/Grandpa, Grandmom/Granddad, Grammie/Grampy, Mimi/Pop, Nana/Papa, YaYa/Papou, Nanny/Pappy, Mamaw/Papaw … and the list goes on and on and ON.  I already knew what my boys would call both sets of their grandparents because they weren’t the first grandkids on either side of the family and their grandparents had already been named.  My parents were Grandmom & Granddad.  Ken’s parents were Mamaw and Papaw.

I have known for a long time which name I want to be called.  I want to be Granny.  Now, some people may feel that Granny is a bit old-fashioned, but I love it and I will tell you why.  I LOVED MY GRANNY!  Her name was Willie Plunkett, but anyone who knew her well called her Granny.  She was everybody’s Granny.  She loved everybody like she was their Granny.  If you asked my childhood/high school/college friends about her, they probably wouldn’t remember her given name, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they would remember my Granny.  Once, when she was sick, someone told our pastor that Mrs. Plunkett was in the hospital.  He didn’t know who Mrs. Plunkett was.  When they told him it was Kathryn Kendrick’s mom, he said, “Oh! You mean Granny!”

I so enjoyed the time that Granny and I spent together as I was growing up.  I am blessed that we lived so close to each other that I could go out and visit her as much as I wanted.  When I got married, Granny loved Ken as if he was one of her blood-born grandchildren (and he loved her back, just as much).  When Jesse and Benjamin came along, all of the love she had ever shown me just overflowed onto them.  They were little when Granny went to Heaven, but I often told them about our Granny and how much she loved them too. 

So, when I started to get grandparent age, I decided that when the time came, I would be called Granny.  A couple of family members said that we already had a Granny, so I should pick something else.  But I want to be called Granny as a tribute to my own Granny and I will try and be the kind of Granny she was.

Recently, two sweet little children have become a part of my family … a beautiful little brown-eyed girl named Keira, and a darling, impish, freckle-faced boy named Kenny.  They are new to the family, but I told their sweet Mama that they could call me Granny if they want to.  I haven’t heard them say it out loud yet, but I already love them the way my Granny loved me.  In time, I hope that Granny will become my name too.