The Great Name Debate...

Names are a funny thing. I remember when we were picking names for the baby (back when we did not know if Dotty was going to be a boy or a girl). Tony and I had such a time. Of course now I cannot imagine Dotty being named anything else...she is such a Dotty!

My mom has had a time with names as well. Presley started off in life calling my mom "Grandma" and then just one day out of the blue switched Mom's name to "Memaw" and has never gone back.

I wanted Dotty to call my mom "Grandma" for many reasons...
1. I had a Grandma - Wanda Montz - and Tony had a Grandma - Mary McGhee.
2. Both mine and Tony's "Grandmas" knew each other and were friends.
3. Dotty's middle name - Marie - is after my Grandma.
4. My other grandmother (Mom's mom) was called several different names by each set of grandchildren. Jake and I call her "Mother", my cousin Tracey calls her "Monie", and my cousin Will calls her "Grandma" (I am not sure what the Josh, Matt, and Megan called her when they were little (now they call her Mother) because they lived in Georgia and we were not around them as much). So along these same lines my mom would have different names too...Memaw by Presley and Grandma by Dotty.

I have found though that children can be very headstrong...especially my own child. She now calls my mom Memaw and no amount of me gently correcting her seems to be changing that. There were times when Dotty would be around Presley for a good while and she might start calling my mom Memaw but after a few reminders from me that Mom's name was Grandma Dotty would change back.

Now though I spent all day Monday trying to get Dotty to call my mom Grandma and she went to bed crying for Memaw and woke up wanting to see Memaw...so...Memaw it is. It was an uphill battle anyway. Even Tony would refer to my mom as Memaw when he talked to Dotty and of course Jake and Keri called Mom Memaw since Presley did...but the one who more than likely influenced Dotty the most was Presley because Dotty wants to do everything like Pres!

So now the only hard thing to do will be for me to learn to call my mom Memaw. A part of me is sad to be losing the name "Grandma" but I am sure I will come to love the name Memaw as well. After all...the name is not what really matters but rather the person. Dotty has a great Memaw...just like I had a great Grandma.