Hey Bud ~
Hello, my name is ....
What’s in a nickname?
Five generations! My Grandfather’s name was Charles, but everyone called him Charlie. My father was named after him, but everyone called him by his middle name… Michael. I named my son Charles, and I have called him Charlie since the day he was born. I find that name to be intimate, cherished and somehow it is a warm and comforting name.
I was very close to my grandfather Charlie. That is who I named my son after.
I adored my grandfather; he would play with me and carry me. I have wonderful memories of the sound of his voice, his laugh and how his pet name for me filled me with joy – Shug, (short version of Sugar)
I recall the many times I watched old 8mm movies of him down on one knee clapping his hands as I would dance around in circles at age 18 months/ 2 years. I was tickled at the way he would smile so big at me dancing around! I ended up getting his laughter captured in every fiber of my being.
That love grew over the years ~ he took me fishing; he took me camping with my grandma… and later he would shoot hoops with me in the driveway.
He took me and my sister to the farm that he and my great uncle bought when he retired. He took us to play and enjoy the 80 acres of country that were full of woods and trails and even a natural spring. They built a log cabin that had bunk beds for us.
They even built an outhouse! He would make us a billy-goat lunch he said. LOL. He named it that because he and my uncle had nicknamed me and my sister “billy-goats”. I would assume because we would eat anything. And so it goes …kids will be kids. We loved it and laughed every time. I miss hearing that. A lot more than I ever could have imagined.
Billy Goat Lunch Recipe~
So we have a wonderful Charlie legacy in my family. It is funny how personality traits tend to attach themselves to some names. The name Helga brings images to my mind of strong-willed women and German ancestry. Now that is just a first inclination and is probably not always accurate. Some of the new names for babies I have heard over the last ten years may seem a bit unusual. For instance, some of them I recall are as follows: West, Apple, Blue Ivy, Brie, Raddix, Bear.. a lot of unusual names. But hey, those names are probably just as dear to the hearts of their parents as Charlie is to mine! To each his own.
I remember my mom had a few nicknames she would throw out every once in a while. Her favorite ones were Snicklefritz and Squirt- box. I smile now, hearing her in my mind, telling me to “grab your coat Snicklefritz” . My Dad had a couple of his own as well. He called me Tadpole and sometimes Tad for short. I miss hearing that more than I can ever try to convey in words. When that is gone from your life, you notice. The twinge of pain it brings, and the lurch in your stomach is real.
He called my sister Moba. That is a funny one, she loved to swim. like a lot. And so, like a baby whale would maybe be called, he thought it was adorable. I agree.
He called my son Charlie, (his fathers’ name’s sake) Charlie B. Because his middle name is after father ‘s last name. Baker. I love that one as well. And even more precious is the fact that my son named his son basically half of my father’s name. Chase Michael Charles. My daddy affectionately called him Charlie number 5.
Nicknames can be so endearing, and they can sometimes become that person’s stamp, what creates in them a sense of belonging to the clan if you will. It may even be what they end up being called or known by all of their life.
My daddy called my daughter Crystal, “grandkababy”. It was a play on his made-up words he would sometime come up with. He also called my own grandchildren Nicholas (5 cent, or Nickel) and my other grandchild Lola (Rubi) as his aunt was named Ruby and she was named after her. I cannot help but smile at reminiscing about those years. They seem like another lifetime now.
Another few to add, my grandma always called me Doll. When I would call her on the phone, she would say “Hello Doll”. Her voice was rich and had the ever-slight southern drawl that drew me into wanting to listen to her talk. The way she would pronounce certain words was always something I remember loving about her.
As fate would have it, I spoke to my mom while working on this and asked her about nicknames and if she knew of any other family members that used them, had them etc..
She said that her daddy happened to have two nicknames for her! They are the pick of the litter for this blog. He called her Sara Do and sometimes he would even call her Willie Lump Lump. She told me she had no idea where he came up with them. But, after hearing those crazy names, I looked them up and they are names from a Red Skelton skit back in the 1940’s and 50’s. They are the best and absolutely the most unusual. I love learning things that nurture a new level of tenderness for family members gone on to glory. Wouldn’t that be the sweetest thing if one day my sweet Mama crosses onto Heaven’s shore and hears her beloved Daddy say “I have been waiting so patiently to see you again Sara Do”.
My husband and I hardly ever, and I mean ever call each other by our
“God given names” … we end up with Babe, Hun or …stay with me here… Little Donkey. I kid you not. One day we were talking about Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore and there was a comment made something to the effect of “well I don’t mean to be a bother” and lo and behold... little donkey stuck.. ! Now, granted it may be embarrassing for me to say out in front of friends, “hey little donkey, pass me the salt will ya” .. but hey, that is what spouses do. LOL
My favorite nick name of all and the one that I was called fairly often by my sister…. was Burl. That one would take a whole lot of crazy explaining. Well, it’s my blog so I guess I can go into it. Hahaha
When my sister was little and she would get frustrated for whatever reason, she would clench up and pull her lips in around her teeth (kind of picture if you are trying to make your mouth look like you have no teeth) but then press your lips together. I made up a name for that look… I called her Curly Lip Tiger. Don’t ask, it makes no sense, but to a 9- or 10-year-old, it is totally on track. Anyway, over the years it got shortened to Curl. I called her that up until she passed away. And as people do, they rhyme things, when I started with Curl, she just called me Burl. It stuck.
The funny thing is I love trees and I looked up one time the word Burl. It is the knot on the side of a tree trunk. Usually they are caused by stress, or injury or infection possibly. As sister’s who loved to tease each other, how appropriate.
You’ve written something quietly powerful, Tammy. Nothing is forced on the reader, just memory doing its job. The thread of 'Charlie' coming through the generations feels like more than a name. It’s almost a hand being offered through the generations.
Your grandfather comes through vividly. The fishing, the cabin, the films, you can hear him without having to try too hard. That’s not an easy thing to do in words.
The nicknames. There’s the core of the piece. All of them are slightly odd, completely personal, and impossible to replace. That’s where the piece really lives. Those are the things that don’t sound like much to anyone else, but to you, they’re everything.
It's warm, honest, and thoroughly enjoyable. A lovely start to my own writing day. Thank you.
Terrific, thanks for the trip down Memory Lane. You have an enjoyable family with many fond memories to cherish.