should relatives be allowed to use nicknames for your baby that you hate?

[amygrrl]

blah

[HGMorgann]

hmmm. its hard to stop them. My daughter is Morgann. Thus, I thought, there would be no shortening as her nickname would be "morg" like a "morgue" or "morggy". Guess what, she is called it all the time. Especially Morg....I tried to stop it...but it failed. I wasn't really THAT adamant about it though.

[amygrrl]

blah

[myshel]

Our DS's name is Luka Alonso ( first and middle). His middle name comes from DH and FIL, who both have Alonso as a middle name. FIL goes by his middle name and shortens it to "Al." My ILs have recently started calling DS "Baby Al" or "Little Al." Ds goes by Luka, so this shouldn't even be an issue but... we haven't really been able to stop them. So, we just let it go. I guess some battles are worth fighting and others are just best left alone.

FWIW, I don't think may-may is all that bad. Then again, it's not my daughter and I have a ds going by "Little Al." ;)

ETA: My sister has a son named Joseph. She was very adamant that he only be called Joseph or Joe, not Joey. She was very strict about it and no one really calls him Joey, so I guess if you feel strongly about it, you should just tell your MIL.

[sublime311]

My BF's DD is named Sydney and they call her "Nee Nee".. It was the way Sydney said her name when she was just learning how to talk (she's 2 1/2 now). THAT was TOTALLY like nails on a chalkboard for me. I HATED it. But.. It's grown on me.

I guess what I'm saying is that you may not mind "may-may" once you're daughter's born. Maybe it'll grow on you. Besides, how often will you be around the offending nickname-maker??

[Asha]

i think i would just let them unless it was something offensive. i often found/find it enduring when people give me nicknames bc i see it as a sign of affection and attachment. it might make your daughter feel the same way when she is old enough to understand. also, as she gets older she may not like the nickname and most kids will be sure to speak up that they don't like a particular nickname. for example, i never let anyone call me becky when i was a kid.

[ManteoChik]

My little sister...who is now 6....is named Mabel Claire. Most of the family tried to call her "May" or "Claire" because they *hated* the name Mabel for a child, it really never stuck and step-mom was pretty POed about it and that they hated her choice of first names. Eventually they just gave up and now no one even think twice about her name.

I'll admit, I'm not big on nicknames....maybe it was because growing up with name Courtney meant there weren't many nicknames you could have...other than "Court" which I was never called. When my little sister was just learning to talk she couldn't say my whole name and it somehow came out as "Hoy", and it stuck (but only with her). She's now 6 and can say my name but continues to call me "Hoy" and she is the ONLY one who is allowed to do so.

[seattleguamgirl]

I'm all too familiar w/the awful sounding nicknames. DS's name is Roman but MIL calls him bubbeleh (which means sweetie/darling in yiddish)--which I don't mind. I just HATE it when she shortens that to "bubbe" (sounds like booby). I cringe every time I hear it, especially when we are out in public! Can you imagine calling a kid "booby"?

If it makes you feel any better, I actually like may-may. I think it's cute. But, you're the one who'll go crazy hearing it so maybe you can ask that she stop using it...if she refuses to stop, at least you tried. :-\

[prudies]

I think May-may is kinda cute. Is she (your MIL) Chinese?

[Asha]

I just HATE it when she shortens that to "bubbe" (sounds like booby). I cringe every time I hear it, especially when we are out in public! Can you imagine calling a kid "booby"?

see i think that's where i would have to cross the line. my il's are indian and there are many names that are just wrong in english, so i would put my foot down if they called them some name that equaled a body part or some other strange thing. like one of their names is sounds like "sweaty" in english. i just wouldn't want my child to be embarrassed or for that matter me.

[Ole Miss Bride]

I don't think it's really that big a deal, so I wouldn't say anything. Unless they were calling your daughter something rude or offensive, I'd just let it go. May-may, while annoying to you, really isn't that bad. And it's not like the kids at school are going to be calling her that. In the name of peace in the family, just try to ignore it.

-Betsy

[kat]

and quite honestly the fact that she decided this as soon as she heard the name from a third party without talking to us to see if we were ok with it, really bugs me. and the fact that she would use it in place of her given name in all situations rather than as just a term of endearment to be used occasionally.

Now I'm probably projecting (a LOT, LOL), but I think *this* is your real issue, and not specifically the name "may-may." If you're anything like me (and my occasional feelings about my MIL), the real problem is that she doesn't seem to respect that this will be YOUR child and not hers. Does that sound familiar?? My MIL (well, actually my ILs, but I'd bet it's my MIL) has made some decisions about the babies (and their relationship with them) without discussing any of them with us, and that really drove me nuts. In fact, it still drives me nuts -- and I predict that once these babies are born it's going to come to a head someday.

But re: YOUR situation -- if "not respecting your choices" really IS the root of the issue, then I think you should say something (or, if it's your MIL, have your DH say something). Gently, of course. It's true that you have to pick your battles, but I believe that it's easier to fight the "respect our choices" battle on the little things than it is on the big things (and if you make it clear on the little things -- like nicknames -- it might actually "spill over" to the bigger manifestations of the same problem).

On the other hand, if it really IS just about you hating the nickname, then I would probably do something passive-aggressive-y like say playfully to my daughter "oh, what a funny name grandma calls you, Malin!" Not saying that's the right way to handle it, but that's what I'd do. :D

Good luck!

[mamax2]

and quite honestly the fact that she decided this as soon as she heard the name from a third party without talking to us to see if we were ok with it, really bugs me. and the fact that she would use it in place of her given name in all situations rather than as just a term of endearment to be used occasionally.

Ah, this sounds just like my step-father who decided to name by baby "Muffin" when I was about 8 weeks pg :rolleyes: She's 2.5 and he still calls her "Muffy" and I loathe it, but he calls my nephew 'Rocky', so I knew I was not going to be getting away w/out a nickname. Anyway, No, I don't like it, but I can't really control it. I figure, when they go to school, nobody will be asking my permission to give her a nickname; it'll just happen, so might as well get used to it now too.

[lml41981]

I was talking to DH about this last night. SIL and her husband have a family member on his side with a daughter named Emily. Our niece couldn't say Emily, so it always came out "Elimy." Now everybody in that family has taken to calling the child Elimy. MIL told me about it two weeks ago and my response was, "See, there's got to be a point where you stop encouraging improper speech patterns and start encouraging proper pronunciation."

So, yesterday, when I heard MIL call our niece over to look at "Mal-uh-me," I was very annoyed. I do NOT want DD to be known as a mispronunciation of her name and if I hear it again, I'll ask DH to speak up. (DD's name is Natalie, btw.)

If it is something that makes you cringe whenever you hear it, I'd have DH ask her not to use it.

[fifibee]

The title of the thread really caught my attention since I am facing similar (though not exact) issue with ILs and DS's name. Basically, ILs announced to us when I was 6 months pregnant that DH and I *get to* pick our child's English name and they will be picking the Chinese name. Needless to say, my face turned blue once I heard that announcement. I had always imagined picking my own child's Chinese name but to have that right taken away immediately by ILs was very hard to swallow. It took me months to get over it, and I finally had to give up because I knew I just had to pick my battles. And this was not one that I would win.

*fastforwarding*

After DS was born, they took about a month to pick out something appropriate. I was secretly praying that they wouldn't come up with something corny/yucky sounding, but of course they did. Now they address him by the name they picked for him, while I cringe everytime they call him in his Chinese name. Luckily, my side of the family hates the name as well, so they stick to the English name. I never use the name that they call DS and just stick to the name we gave him (even when used in our conversations).

I guess I don't have a real solution for you, but I do feel your pain.

[KiKi'sMommy]

This thread is actually kind of funny because we are in the same situation, but it is my DH that hates the nickname. My sister started calling my DD Kiki when she was born. My DH and I call her KK. So it is not that much different, but my DH HATES it. He says it sounds like a stripper name. Honestly, I think it is kinda cute for now. I probably won't like it when she is 16, but it is okay for a one year old! Now, my whole side of the family calls her Kiki, but we just do it when her Daddy isn't around. He tries to stop it, but it seems that no one is listening to him. I expect at some point he will get really irritated about it, but it kinda seems harmless at this point.

[lml41981]

ILs announced to us when I was 6 months pregnant that DH and I *get to* pick our child's English name and they will be picking the Chinese name. Needless to say, my face turned blue once I heard that announcement. I had always imagined picking my own child's Chinese name but to have that right taken away immediately by ILs was very hard to swallow. It took me months to get over it, and I finally had to give up because I knew I just had to pick my battles. And this was not one that I would win.
Is it customary for the grandparents to choose the Chinese name? If it were something I had dreamed of doing, there's no way I would have let someone take that joy from me.

I'm sorry they chose a corny name and that you had no say in it. :(

[yaya]

How do you think she'd react if you said, gently, "I'd really prefer that you call her 'Malin.'"

?

Obviously you can't "allow" your ILs to call your daughter anything at all -- we can't control other people. At the same time, unless you make your wishes known, they don't really have a chance to respect them, you know?

I dunno. If you think this is really important to MIL, then I would leave it be. But if you think this might just be a whim of hers, then I would, without making a big deal of it, alert her to your preference.

You know what's going to happen, of course: You have it out with MIL, she accedes to your wishes and promises to call your daughter "Malin," only, and then, somehow, some random third party is going to come along, call your daughter May-May, and it will stick. ;)

MAY-lin, may-LIN, and May-may all sound great to me, btw.

[dzmattie]

My DS's name is Gary. Humm - you would think no nickname right? Oh - and he is Gary III - we thought of calling him something like "trip" or "tres" and decided against it. We wanted him to know and like his name.

My MIL calls him "Little Cutes" - it is annoying and makes me insane. He is 2 years old!! My husband has told her numerous times to stop. Now - in my head - I know she does it - mainly in emails (we communicate alot in email - a whole other issue) - to distinguish between the three Gary's in the family. But I think I would be able to tell who she is talking about in 90% of situations based on the sentence! She has stopped calling him that in front of him - still continues in the emails. I have decided to drop it as long as she doesn't call him that in front of him.

I never did well with the direct request to her to stop - but maybe your husband could? Or see what happens? You might have more luck with family members saying - we call her Maylin. Period.

Now - my name is Rebecca - I hated being called Becky and preferred Becca. By the time I was 3 years old - I told everyone who called me Becky to call me Becca. So - your little one probably will be able to state her wishes when she is old enough. Just a thought...I feel for you!

[Lizard]

Something similar happened to me.... My full name is Elizabeth, and my mother was adamant that people would call me that, and no other nickname. Well, it didn't take long and her friends and family started calling me Liz. That was the nickname she hated the most, and constantly asked people not to use it, but it just happened to be the one that stuck around. 31 years later and I've never used Elizabeth, just Liz. Mom's gotten used to it over the years, I think. :D

[kimthebride]

DH & I fought about when we were to name our DS since the moment we *met* (not got engaged, not got married, not got pg...MET) six years ago. He has the same name as his father, and wanted to pass that along to his son. FIL is Tom to most people but gets called Tommy by his siblings. DH is Tommy to his entire family, but Tom to me & most friends.
And I. Hate. The name. Tommy. Always had even since a kid. (Sorry for all you Tommy moms out there!)
So eventually I accept the same name as long as we only call him Thomas.
Yet DH & FIL will call him Tommy when they think I am not hearing them, and it makes me ill. I just hate it. But these two are considered the patriarchs of the family, so if they do it it justs encourages other people to do it. Very frustrating, and I literally can't help the gut-clenching that happens to me when I hear it. Honestly, any other nickname on the planet is fine with me (FIL does call him Mutz sometimes and I am ok even with that!).

So a long story longer, if you & DH really really don't like this name, calmly nip it in the bud. Yes, there are many battles you can choose from that are likely more important than this. However, IMO if it means that much to you then find a way to tell MIL & FIL that you would really appreciate them respecting your decision as parents and calling DC by her name as you chose.

[Sal03]

I hear ya on this one. I have told my stepmom twice not to call DS by certain names. One is a nickname I have heard them affectionately call their CAT so obviously why would I want her then calling my son that?? Then another is just dumb. We specifically picked Dylan because we thought it had no nickname and she goes and calls him Silly Dilly. I said please don't call him that. now my FIL just started calling him Dil. I hate that and if it continues, DH will be saying something to him.

[LeslieR]

Hey, it could always be worse. My FIL calls my son "the Tank".:rolleyes: I'd take May-May over Tank any day!

Honestly though, I really don't mind. DS is a big boy and I know FIL means it as a term of endearment. It's usually more along the lines of "How's the tank?" And, hell, we as the parents have somehow taken to calling DS "Bobo". Soooo...I don't know what's worse.:o

[cr8zyforaf]

Uggg.. I can totally relate - MIL calls Ashley "my poopy pots".

It drives me MAD.MAD.MAD. She will call and say “how is my little poopy pots doing?”. I guess it is a step in the right direction – she was calling and saying “how is my little Ashley doing” or “how is my baby doing”. Not only is the poopy pots annoying – Ashley is MY baby, not hers. DH thinks I take things to personal – poopy on him.

[EJH]

Before DD arrived, MIL made it clear how much she hated DD's name. Her plan was to call the baby by her middle name, Grace. Not sure what she thought this was going to accomplish (we think it was mostly a ploy to get us to change the name before she arrived, which we did not). We didn't really say anything to her about it, just figured we'd wait until A was born and see what MIL did, and take it from there. She backed off when we really DID name her Arden and has never called her Grace. Most of the time she'll use some random baby nickname ...

[LeslieR]

Oh yeah, I was going to post about the "my baby" comments:mad: , but I figured that was another thread entirely.:p

[SiValleySteph]

Does your daughter have a Chinese name?

My son has a Chinese name that my FIL and GFIL picked out together for him. It is completely seperate from his English name which appears on this birth certificate. We don't call him by his Chinese name, but his relatives who primarily speak Chinese do call him by it. It doesn't bother me at all.

[BooeyJ2]

I think May-may is kinda cute. Is she (your MIL) Chinese?

"May-May" is one of my nieces nicknames (her name is Maylie). "May-May" also means "little sister" in chinese...if that helps to eas the pain a bit LOL ;)

[gizzyntaz]

I personally feel that DS's grandparents are allowed to call him what they want until HE has a preference. I always figured it was "grandparent's rights". That said, none of the grandparents call him anything irritating.

[hockeybrat]

"May-May" is one of my nieces nicknames (her name is Maylie). "May-May" also means "little sister" in chinese...if that helps to eas the pain a bit LOL ;)


I was just coming in to say that :)

[IrisHope]

My ILs called our daughter Julie (her name is Julia). We told them that is not her nickname and they have respected our decision.

[kimthebride]

My ILs called our daughter Julie (her name is Julia). We told them that is not her nickname and they have respected our decision.
Wow. In-laws that listen. What a novel concept. :D

[BooeyJ2]

yup. this is in addition to a chinese middle name which we had already told them they could pick. too bad malin won't be the little sister to any one so i know they didn't pick it based on that. it sounded to me like it was more of either 'we don't like the name you picked so we are choosing to call her something else' or 'we hadn't heard of the name before and rather than attempt to pronounce it, we'll just call her what we want'.... again, it wasn't brought up as a term of endearment really. more like a 'oh, your naming your kid benjamin? well, that's a mouth full/ i don't like that name. i'll just call him benji'.



If it really bothers you, you can always do the whole "Please just call her "Malin" because we don't want to confuse her and we want her to know and learn her real name" ;)

[Lil_Mrs_0702]

I guess I wouldn't be too bothered if it was our parents calling our little one a nickname as long as it was something enduring to them. We considered what the names would be shortened down to when picking names.

Even though our son's name will be Collin, I plan to call him Cole and DH will call him by his middle name Edge. It is something between those two people... For instance a grandfather may have several grandchildren and each of them call him something different.

[BusyBee]

Do you want more kids?
Tell them there won't be any more grandkids because it will be too confusing if you had another child, i.e. May-may's May-may (Malin's little sister).
:)

[hockeybrat]

Do you want more kids?
Tell them there won't be any more grandkids because it will be too confusing if you had another child, i.e. May-may's May-may (Malin's little sister).
:)


May-may #1 would then be Jie Jie (older sister)

[BusyBee]

May-may #1 would then be Jie Jie (older sister)

You'd end up calling them by number - #1, #2!
At that point, they'd go back to Malin!

[Txfish]

Yeah, this gives me the shivers. Sorry, dont remember who already posted about Tommy -- but take that, and insert William & BILLY, and you have my worst nightmare scenario. There cannot be a more horrible nickname in my head than Billy, and it's what DH's entire family *still* calls him, although he's been William ever since he left for college. Drives me batty. I have seriously put some cosmic praise out there that we're having a girl, because as it's the family tradition (his dad is Bill), we'd have a William something, and I know as sure as the sun shines that MIL would insist on calling the kid Billy. And then I'd have to slap her, and there'd be all this drama LOL

I absolutely would not allow them to call YOUR child something you don't like or approve of. I would go totally broken-record on them and repeat, every time I heard it, "That is not her name. Her name is Malin." Or just say "Malin" every time she says May-may. Rude, maybe, and I'm sure I'm just a bitch about it, but I just couldn't deal with that.

When I had DD #1, I just said, her name is Caroline and we're going to call her Caro. And everyone has decided that they think Caro is hard to say, and so they call her Caroline... HAHA! Works for me. And now she won't even allow people to call her Carolina, so I know I'm safe from any other nicknames.

Good luck - sorry!

[Astara]

I know what your going through.. almost exactly I feel. We named our daughter Genevieve. We then told MIL that we wanted gigi (it had sentimental meaning)to be her nickname only to close relatives and that we only wanted it to be used once in a while, not very often. Well, MIL decided she didnt like genevieve so she only referred to her as gigi. We told her we didnt want her to have a nickname anymore but she said "you cant tell people what to call her". I think we can. She then put on the baby shower invite that she sent to everyone "Steve, Jes, & GG" So then EVERYONE only called her GG.. not even the right spelling. I was really furious.. so DH went to MIL and told her not to call her GG and that that wasnt even how it was spelled. We then had to tell the whole family. I dont care if it looks like we are being rude.. we named her Genevieve because we love it.. we didnt want her name to completely be replaced with Gigi.. I really dont want her to grow up and have people think thats her birth name.. unless she chooses so, not because she is used to it. KWIM?

That said, I have no problem with ppl calling her names that wont be confused with her real name. DH started calling her Viever, FIL calls her peanut, and MIL has started calling her viever once in a while as well. but its once in a while and not constant as it was with gigi. (dh and I do call her gigi once in a while but.. not very often) So im fine with it. :) as long as her real name is not replaced then I dont care, but when people try to "change" her name, thats where I have the problem.

Also we do not allow anyone to call her Gen or Genny. I feel that we as the parents have a right to tell people what we do and dont want her to be called. Once she is older its out of our hands.. but for now I feel like if we stick by what we prefer she be called then we have a good chance of her going by that later in life.

My mom also did the same with me.. She only let people call me Jessica. And I only went by Jessica up until a few years ago, DH started calling me jes and it stuck.. I miss being known as Jessica now, and will def. go back to that.

sorry for the really, really long winded post. This had been a really big problem for us. I really think you should let your MIL know that you want your daughter to go by what you've named her. or that you dont mind if she calls her may may but you dont want the whole family to, so could she just refer to her as maylin around the rest of the family.

[SiValleySteph]

nope b/c dh's older sister is called jie jie... yes she's in her late 30's and they still call her this.


You do know this is a cultural thing? You seem a bit disrespectful of your IL's culture here. I know it is different than how your family does things, but it is your child's culture, also. Don't deny your child her cultural heritage.

My MIL's Aunt is called Jie Jie and she's in her 70s. My MIL is Mei Mei to her sisters and she's 60. It's a traditional way of address. It's not just sibilings, but the parents may address the children this way as well. Mei Mei is just "little one" and many people like to use it for the youngest girl.

I could be reading this wrong, but is reads as if you are rolling your eyes at the fact that they are calling your SIL jie jie.

[solongtogo]

Yeah, this gives me the shivers. Sorry, dont remember who already posted about Tommy -- but take that, and insert William & BILLY, and you have my worst nightmare scenario. There cannot be a more horrible nickname in my head than Billy, and it's what DH's entire family *still* calls him,


I beg to differ :) I am the wife of DAVEY. His family calls him that. He's almost 28 years old.

[amygrrl]

edit

[polarama]

deleted.

[amygrrl]

edit

[Sarah]

I totally agree that you have the right to ask them not to call her anything you don't want them to. I would go with Yaya's advice and just try saying, "We prefer she be called Malin" and see how it goes. If she persists, teach the baby to call her something she hates. I did this- I taught my DD to call my MIL "Granny" until MIL addressed her properly. :)

[SiValleySteph]

I'm sorry I misread you. It came across to me that you thought it was silly that your sister was still referred to as JieJie in her 30s.

Of course your daughter is not only Chinese. Just as my son is Swiss as well as Chinese.

I'm with the others. If you do feel so strongly about this, you should tell your MIL that you wish she would call your daughter Malin and not MeiMei and correct her when necessary.

It's not something that would bother me personally, however, especially knowing that this is common in Chinese culture.

[amygrrl]

edit

[polarama]

although i do still have concerns about the baby 'learning' her name. for those of you who had multiple people calling your child multiple things, did your child ever get confused? i'm thinking in terms of when addressing the child, not when showing affection. like if someone used a completely different name in place of a given name in all circumstances did it every confuse your child? i just wonder if having us and my family call and refer to her as malin and his family refering to her if it might cause her to confuse what her name is or not know when to respond.

I just wanted to comment on this--I think kids are pretty adaptable. While I can't speak as a mother, I can speak from my experience babysitting my cousins, my sister, and my friends' experiences A ton of kids I know have multiple nicknames--some are in English, some are in different languages, sometimes as many as 4-5 nicknames...all before they were 4 years old! I grew up with 3 names that my parents, grandparents, babysitter, and other family friends used interchangably and it wasn't confusing at all. :)

Is the other nickname "little may" (xiao mei?) That is very cute too, and I would say sounds better than may may. :)

[Peppy]

You stated earlier that a big part of your problem with the Mai Mai nickname was that other people would follow your MIL in calling your DD that. How about making a point that MIL (or MIL and FIL) is the "only" person who calls her Mai Mai? If others try, you can say "oh, no, only MIL calls her that--it is her special nickname for her granddaughter." I bet that your MIL would jump all over that--I'm sure she will want to have something she shares only with your DD.

You could even broach the idea with your MIL before your DD is born. It won't stop MIL from calling her that, but it will ensure that others don't.

[IrisHope]

Wow. In-laws that listen. What a novel concept. :D

lol

[lml41981]

I personally feel that DS's grandparents are allowed to call him what they want until HE has a preference. I always figured it was "grandparent's rights". That said, none of the grandparents call him anything irritating.
Eh...I believe DD's grandparents had the privilege to name us, not name DD. Naming is a parental privilege.

[Winter Biscuit]

Eh...I believe DD's grandparents had the privilege to name us, not name DD. Naming is a parental privilege.

I agree that naming is a parental privilege. Our DD's name is Elisabeth. MIL really, really wanted to call DD "Libby" but we said hell no. We don't like that name, and we don't like how it goes with our last name (no offense to anyone named Libby or who might have a DD named Libby). If DD decides she wants to be called Libby when she is older, fine, we'll certainly respect that. And IMO, that is certainly different than having MIL decide what her name will be.

However, I will admit that if the cultural thing played a role in our family, especially Chinese culture, I might reconsider because I don't know if it would be a battle worth fighting. But that's just me. :)

[Sarah]

My DD gets called:
Sophie
Sophia
Fofa
Soph
Sophs
BooBear
Boolaboo
Buker
and so on.
She knows her name just fine. I do think if it was consistent that one group calls her MaiMai and the other calls her Malin, she'll be fine. But I do think if it's important to you, you should set boundaries.

[Txfish]

Just had to say,

I am the wife of DAVEY. His family calls him that. He's almost 28 years old.

You're right, that's pretty bad. Except that if they ever made an effort to curtail it, it might come out Dave, but mine would still be Bill. Blech.

[wife&wannabemom]

Hi amygrrl - So glad to hear your little beauty is doing well.

ABSOLUTELY NOT....it is our opinion in our family (DH, DS, and me) that WE are the only people who can come up with a nickname. My father and aunt are big 'nicknamers' and have repeatedly tried to call Patrick Pat, Patty, or PJ (Patrick Joseph)...each time I've corrected them and said, 'no, it's patrick'. They've even told me "just wait until you hear the nicknames he'll get in school" and I reply, 'that's fine if his friends give him a nickname, but in our house he goes by only Patrick".....my MIL taught me the responses because BIL is named Christopher and she hated Chris.

I say no matter what the 'reason' your Mom/MIL has decided to give this nickname may not be malicious, but if you and DH don't like the nickname then your DD should not be called it...period. And I started the very first time Patrick was born....at 5 months we're still battling a little bit but I am sticking strong.

[Neen]

I have Abraham III. His father is called Abey (AB) by his family and grandpa is Abe. When he was born, we were asked what we were going to call him. My answer ABRAHAM! He's now 8 and in the 3rd grade, and he'll go by Abraham, Abe, AB, or Ham. I started calling him Hammy a few years ago and it stuck.

My younges is Alec and his nickname is Lala. When he was born Abraham couldn't say Alec and it came out Lala. It's stuck. Me and DH are really the only ones who call him that (ok, maybe my mom does do!) but he's ok with it!