It’s Not A Nick Name It’s A…

I don’t know why, but I still call my daughter by those special little names moms use for their kids. These “Momikers” as I call them just roll of my tongue, and it doesn’t matter if I’m talking to her on the phone, visiting in person or writing an email.

Hubby's says his Mom called him "Merry Sunshine", especially if he was grumpy.

They Go Way Back

Though I suspect she hopes I’ll eventually stop altogether, I just don’t see it happening. You see, by now it’s a habit—something ingrained that goes way back to my mom, and even beyond that to hers.  Maybe all moms do what I do.  When I asked hubby about it, he said his mom used momikers regularly.  I’m not sure what it is, but there must be something about motherhood that makes us refer to our children this way.

An Expression Of Love

Some momikers are better than others, like "Cookie".

You might think I’d start using a momiker because I decided I no longer like my daughter’s real name.  Nope.  I love her name. Her dad and I were very careful about our choice. We spent a lot of time picking it out. We checked baby name books and had lots of pointed discussion before making our choice.  In my opinion her name is beautiful and strong—just like her. And yet when I talk to her the first thing I usually say is “Hi, Punkin!”

My Momma Did It

Some momikers just won't do, like "Cracker".

Punkin was one of the momikers also used by my mother. She used it well into her 60s, until she started losing the ability to call anyone by any name. Mom also used Turnip and BooBoo (of the ever popular Yogi & BooBoo bear fame).

It Just Feels Right

Honey is always a popular momiker.

I don’t know where we come up with our particular momikers. I suspect I use Punkin for my daughter because my mom used it on me. I know I always felt special when she said it.  And when I talk to my daughter, I want to convey how special I think she is and how much I truly love her. On the other hand, Turnip was never one that I passed on to my daughter, even though it evokes good memories of mom.  For me, I feel SweetPea is always a good second choice if I overdo it on Punkin.

Not Universally Popular

No one really wants to be called "Pansy".

I’m sure not all kids feel the same about momikers as I did.  Whereas I liked be called Punkin, my hubby says he always went into a slow burn whenever his mom called him “Petunia.” I don’t know, I kind of like petunias but I suppose it’s not worth risking hubby’s wrath to start using that one on him.  “Oh, Petunia!  Where are you?”

A Place In My Heart

Macaroni makes a cute momiker.

These days, my chances to use a lot of momikers are more limited.  After all, my daughter has been living on her own for years now.  Fortunately, our little Havanese puppy dog, Dusty, doesn’t seem to mind if I call him by his real name or not.  We’ve come up with some doozies for Dusty.  Let’s see, there’s Bubby, Bubby Boy, Duster, Duster Buster, Dusteroo, Dusterini, but surprisingly never Punkin.  I’m saving that one for my Sweat Pea.

By Carol Austin

© 2011 Javabird LLC.  All rights reserved.

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