Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Nicknames

It's true, I'm a nicknamer and I have been for as long as I can remember.  It all started when I was a baby.  I'm not sure if I didn't know my parents' given names or I just couldn't remember them, but I started calling them "Mom" and "Dad".  Whether I coined these terms isn't clear (although I'm pretty sure I did) because I've heard other people use them when referring to their parents.  In any case, you guys are my friends, so feel free to use them within your own families.

My husband has a first name.  I've seen his birth certificate, so I know what it is, but I don't use it.  I usually call him "honey" or some other term of endearment.  Lately, especially if we're working on a project together, we call each other "Louis" and "Billy Ray".  It comes from the movie Trading Places, where, at the end, Eddie Murphy says "Looking good, Louis" and Dan Aykroyd replies "Feeling good, Billy Ray".

My son had a variety of nicknames when he was younger, but we don't use them much anymore.  "Junior" is the only one that really stuck, although he isn't actually a junior.  My daughter, on the other hand, responds to at least a half dozen different nicknames, including a shortened version of her given name.  Most of the time, though, I call her "Peach" and I have since she was a baby.  Recently, she decided she should have a fruit related nickname for me, so she's been calling me "Nectarine".

Of all the nicknames I've ever had, Willoughby is one of my favorites.  It suits me.  I look like a "Willoughby", don't you agree?


Willoughby

6 comments:

L.B. said...

Trading Places is quite possibly the funniest move ever.

Oh sure, like he went to Harvard.

What is ya, ign'ant?


Yeah, I could go on and on.

Nicknames... yeah, we have nicknames here. I call the girls stinky or stinkbutt... haha... I'm sure they like it. We call Kennedy "Squirrel" because she's always been so squirrelly ever since she was very little. She hated to be swathed and would bust out of the blankets when she was tiny.

I had a great nickname for Yvonne - and actually, we just call her Yvie and have since she was born, so that's technically a nickname. Anyway, I was going to call her Chiquita, Spanish for little one, but my mom had gotten a dog right around the time Yvie was born and she named that stupid dog Chiquita. Crap! That was totally my nickname. It would have been great, because Yvie is my little Chiquita but damn dog stole it. Still bothered by it.

And I have to admit, every time I see your picture I think "Well, if anyone looks like a Willoughby, it's her."

Betty Manousos said...

sorry... i ran out of my time, but i shall be sure to drop by your blog tomorrow and comment properly.

hope you're having a great day!

big hugs
betty xx

just wanted to let you know.

Bill Lisleman said...

I never thought of mom and dad as nicknames. I get the impression that the latest generation of parents don't like nicknames - your opinion?
Betty you can call me Al.

Joanna Jenkins said...

Willoughby suits you just fine :-)

I used to give Godson nickname which I referred to a "pet names". When he was about 7 years old he "reminded" me that he wasn't a "pet" he was a boy and that he preferred his real name. :-) I still have countless nicknames for him but now that he's older he goes with the flow.

xo jj

Betty Manousos said...

"honey" is my favourite nick name.

i love calling my close friends by nicknames. it's strange the fact that they can make our hearts all warm yet we feel really loved.

isn't it?

have a great sunday, my friend!

big hugs
betty xx

Raoulysgirl said...

No one's legal name is safe around here! My girls (Anastasia and Ilisabeth) go by Tacha and Isi...and many, MANY other variations. Tacha is Tacha D., Tach-a-cha, Ana-tacha, Squirrel, Tach, etc. Isi is also known as Weeser, Isi-beth, I-lisa-my-beth, Isi-beth MY-ria(her middle name is Maria), Miss Mousie, Skeeter butt, Isi Breezy, etc. Not to mention that NO one pronounces their first names right. Tacha's is spelled wrong to begin with (my fault...suppposed to be Anastacia), and Ilisabeth's is ALWAYS pronounced Elizabeth...which is NOT her name...she'll tell ya so, too. She says "I'm sorry, but, it's ee-LISA-beth. Thank you." Probably terrible parents for naming them the way we did (and nicknaming them), but they're stuck! Nicknames are easier for most people...at least where my kids are concerned!!! LOL!!!