Nicknames, nicknames - what is in a nickname?

A friend just mentioned on FB that she used to call my hubby Big Charley.  Reminded me of all the nicknames I've given people over the years or what my own nicknames were.

First and foremost - Marty is a nickname.  My given name was Martha, named after my aunt.  By the time I was 16, I had pretty much changed to Marty to everyone but my family.  My mother was indignant.  She told me, "I gave you a perfectly good name.  You don't need a nickname."  Sorry, mom.  It happened anyway.

Since then, my husband has added his own version.  He calls me squaw (apologies to any Native Americans reading this), midget (again apologies to little people) and Smurf (no apologies there, I'm just not blue!) 

My daughter in law loves to call me Martha June to get my attention.  Her girls do the same now cause I chase them around and tell them not to call me Martha June. They just fall on the floor giggling.  My cousin, who is now struggling with Alzheimers, also called me Martha June all my life.

Each of our grandchildren has a nickname that papa gave them.  I told him some of them don't make sense, but he laughs and continues on anyway.

I remember giving my son two nicknames - Little Charley and Sweet Pea.  He informed me very severely when he was in high school that I really should quit calling him Little Charley cause he was not LITTLE anymore.  He was almost six foot by then, so guess he had a point.  The Sweet Pea came to a halt when he was in junior high.  He gently asked me if I would please stop calling him that in public, because it embarrased him.  So Sweet Pea, I quit calling you that!  :)

I am still not sure how this started, but I called my daughter "sis" off and on for years.  She answered to both her name and sis for years.  It might have come about because Charley Jr. could not pronounce April when he was little so he called her sissy until he was older.

I have a nickname for my 5th graders.  I call them Rugrats (definitely not after the stupid cartoon). They think it is quite funny!

My teaching partner/friend's little boy hangs out in both of our rooms after school.  He's become my adopted boy grandchild, I guess!  I started calling him Squirt.  He asked me one day why I called him Squirt.  I explained that nicknames are sometimes given to people that you love as a special name, just for them.  He thought about that for a minute, nodded and went on.  That night when I told him goodbye, I said, "Goodbye Squirt, I'll see you in the morning."  He grinned really big, clasped both hands together and held them to his heart!  Got tears in my eye.

I had a friend who named her boy, Michael.  She was adamant that no one should ever call him Mike.  He never was called Mike, and now that he is an adult with children of his own - he is difinitely not a Mike.  I wondered if she saw into the future and knew that he would always be a Michael, not a Mike. 

When our first granddaughter was born, she was named Danielle June.  But her parents had already decided to put the two names together and call her DJ.  She's been DJ since the day she was born. That even has been shortened occasionally to Deeej.   When she gets called Danielle by her parents, she knows she in deep, deep trouble  If she gets called Danielle June, she might as well pack her bags and run away! 

DJ for awhile in kindergarten had a "boyfriend" named TJ.  She said they were going to get married and have a kid and call him P.J.  No comment!

When April was in HS, she had a friend who's dad called her June.  She still remembers that name fondly from her dad's friend.

My own dad nicknamed April's best friend as "Smiley."  He always called her that when she visited because she was always laughing and smiling.

April's brother nicknamed her Ape Girl. Luckily, she loves him and didn't care.  But Ape Girl?  Another of her friends calls her Grape Ape!  I'm just shaking my head!

Nicknames can also be really, really bad.  I was called nicknames in HS - not because they wanted to tease me in a fun way.  They wanted to hurt me.  I'm 60 now, and to remember that hurt after all these years says something about the power of bad nicknames.

My granddaughter kind of got a nickname for having to wear a mask at school so she wouldn't get sick.  She has autoimmune hepatitis and is in chronic liver failure.  The one she heard the most was "Bird Flu, Bird Flu."  It hurt!  So do names like Fatty, Fatso, Pitface, Nerd, etc. etc. etc.  Some are meant to hurt, while others are just in fun.

I had one class who for whatever reason decided they all needed nicknames for me to call them by.  It was quite comical because one student chose BOB because that was his initials.  Wish I had written them all down because some were downright funny, some were wistful thinking, and some were about who they felt they were.  Loved those kids that year.  Smart, funny and certainly imaginative!

And of course, we all have our pet nicknames for the spouses!  Most of mine probably aren't appropriate for a blog, so I'll just leave you wondering.  So adios, Sweet Pea, Sis, DJ, Alaina Bean, Cally Wally Doodle, Miss K, and Lillie.  May you forever be loved.