Phragments from Phyllis: A new dilemma: what to call the in-laws
It's interesting trying to figure out what my sons-in-law should call us.
Vince said, "Should I still call you Mrs. Britt?" He said his brother-in-law calls his parents "mom" and "dad," just as he calls his own parents.
This brought me back to my own dilemma when Tom and I married eons ago. I couldn't bring myself to call his parents "mom" and "dad." After all, I had my own mom and dad and it didn't seem right to give that moniker to anyone else. Tom had a similar problem. So for years we struggled with what to do. In fact, the solution only came when we began to have children ourselves -- which took nine years. It was only then that Tom's parents became "Granddad" and "Grandmother," while my parents became "Granddaddy" and "Me-Mo." Problem solved. Anytime I referred to Tom's parents, I said, "Ask Granddad" or "Ask Grandmother."
This also reminds me of my ongoing "problem" with my friend Susan. She wants my kids to call her Susan. Another friend, Joanne, has two grown daughters who made the transition themselves at some point and today are very comfortable with addressing us as "Susan" and "Phyllis" -- despite my having taught them in elementary school.
My children, on the other hand, were apparently brainwashed by me. When we first moved to South Carolina, despite my Virginia upbringing, I was not a fan of calling parents "Miss Susan" or "Miss Vicky." So I taught my children to say, "Mrs. Wike" and Mrs. Meyer." Now, even though they have been invited to do so on numerous occasions -- and despite my being blamed by Susan for their lack of cooperation -- my children still say "Mrs. Wike."
Anyway, back to Vince -- and by default, Scott. The easy answer is to call us "Oopah" and "YaYa," since we already have grandchildren and that's what they call us. It eliminates the need for distinction from other folks, since Vince's parents and Scott's parents already have been designated by the grandchildren with unique names.
I told Vince I didn't mind if he would like to call us by our first names or by Oopah and YaYa or Mom and Dad or anything else. "I'll be happy with whatever you decide," I said.
To which Vince immediately responded, "OK, Granny."
OK, I take it back. I will not be happy with anything he chooses.