I have five wonderful grandkids, ranging in age from 7 to 22. I don't know who started it but they all call me "Pops" a moniker I accept with great fondness. It's simple - one syllable even if one of them draws it out through a long breath - and it was unique in the family circle. Everyone knew who Pops was. Even our twenty-two year old's friends and acquaintances call me Pops. I like that.
Then came Suri, our bright, cheerful, funny two-year-old great granddaughter. Our Son became a grandfather and was given the name Pops. I had lost my identity! Well to be completely honest, in spite of my whining, everyone who used to call me Pops still does, except in Suri's presence. But when I'm in that lovely child's company I'm ... nameless. Oh we've tried to come up with a name for me: Papa (that confused her), Grand Pops (possibilities but ...) Pappy (shades of Dogpatch), Great Pops (Visualize finger down throat), but nothing seems to have stuck.
I have a good friend with enough children and grandchildren to start his own zip code. They all call him Chief. That's such a cool name that I tried that on the little elf ... nothing. So I'm still looking for something as easy as Pops and as cool as Chief - I'm not being too restrictive, am I? While thinking of Chief (the person behind the name) I began to wonder what he would be called by his great grandchildren? Great Chief? Big Chief? Super Chief? Or would he also lose his identity?
We'll discuss it over breakfast soon, Chief.
Then came Suri, our bright, cheerful, funny two-year-old great granddaughter. Our Son became a grandfather and was given the name Pops. I had lost my identity! Well to be completely honest, in spite of my whining, everyone who used to call me Pops still does, except in Suri's presence. But when I'm in that lovely child's company I'm ... nameless. Oh we've tried to come up with a name for me: Papa (that confused her), Grand Pops (possibilities but ...) Pappy (shades of Dogpatch), Great Pops (Visualize finger down throat), but nothing seems to have stuck.
I have a good friend with enough children and grandchildren to start his own zip code. They all call him Chief. That's such a cool name that I tried that on the little elf ... nothing. So I'm still looking for something as easy as Pops and as cool as Chief - I'm not being too restrictive, am I? While thinking of Chief (the person behind the name) I began to wonder what he would be called by his great grandchildren? Great Chief? Big Chief? Super Chief? Or would he also lose his identity?
We'll discuss it over breakfast soon, Chief.
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Comments are always from "anonymous". Often I can identify the author by the content of the comment, but that much cogitation makes my 80 year-old brain tired. Please help out an old man and identify yourself within the text of the comment. Thanks for the comments whether or not you ID yourself. Tom