Have the kids ask their parents what they prefer to be called, and you can call yourself another endearment. They might prefer to be called Grandma and Grandpa, then you could call yourself Nan, Nanna or Grandma Salgal.

Talk it over with them. If you would like to be called grandma tell them so. They may be thrilled with the idea. As far as the child goes he ( she) would be so lucky to have an extra grandma that loves them.. I say go for it soon to be grandma.. Loving a child is one of the most precious things in the world. Many children don't have one. Those that do are lucky..

Oh yes! Nothing wrong with having several Grandmas!
Me myself would prefer Nan, but if you and the other Grandma to be both want to be Grandma, go for it.
After all when the child is talking to you, he will be speaking to you directly and will be calling you Grandma; when he speaks to the other one, he'll be calling her Grandma as well.

Unless there are a bunch of Grandmas in the same room, and he hollers "Grandma!" then everyone answers! LOL. Other than that time, it's no big deal how many Grandmas there are.

The baby will probably find a name for you! I appreciate your sensitivity about "Grandma" and would encourage a special name other than that.

Our DGS has two 'legal' parents and four 'legal' grandparents. LOL DIL's family are fourth generation Polish-Americans, still vested in thir heritage, so they are "Busha" and "Jaja". DH and I are "Grandpa" and "Grandma".

Our DS had two grandmothers, each called by her given name: "Grandma Mary" and "Grandma Jane".

Congrats on the baby coming into your life. You will LOVE it. I think it's nice you're being respectful of the other grandmas. But like others have said, IF you want to be called grandma, I think it's ok, a child can never have enough grandmas!!! :) This baby will change your life!! (my first gd is 4 months old). :)

"One thing I cannot figure out is what they should call me?"

What is wrong with "grandma"? I'm not understanding the problem. You can use traditional ethnic words for grandma like 'nana' or what ever, if that has been a tradition in your family.

Some families are very informal and allow a child to use a nickname for grandma. One of my friends allows her adult GC to call her "Cookie". Apparently picked up from the fact that she gave them cookies when they visited and the wee little ones always looked at her and said "Cookie! Cookie!" LOL. The nickname evolved from that.

My family was very formal and we had to use "Grandma Smith" and "Grandma Jones". Maybe that was an ethnic thing though? Some families will use first names like "Grandma Maude". I wouldn't worry about it too much. It will work itself out.

Chisue's right, at least in my case. One day when Katy was a toddler I had her for the day and she bumped her head (looking at herself in our mirrored coffee table). She looked at me like she was going to cry, so I hit myself on the head and said, "Ouch!" She started laughing so hard and said, "Oh, MiMi!" I've never heard such a belly laugh come out of one so little. So from then on I was Mimi and still am even with my blood grandson. It special.

I'm called Granny Gayle by the Grands. Of course, my Grands have 4 sets of Grandparents. It gets confusing for them.

I think identifying by using your name is helpful for Grands. JMO

Congratulations!

You have no idea how many "grandparents" and "parents" my kids have. You can never have too many! And honorary aunts and uncles, too. That baby can call you anything you or it wants to, and it will be fine.

Tami aka Granny

Dilly dally, I think the issue Salgal cites is that she is not a grandmother to the baby (not by blood or marriage). The baby is the child of her partner's son. The mothers of the baby's parents are technically the grandmothers.

I think that something will come naturally. Since you say that you all get along well, perhaps you could at least casually mention your quandary to the two grandmothers and see what they say. Maybe they'll say they don't mind you being called Grandma, too! Maybe they don't want to bbe Grandma but perhaps Nana. Maybe they'll have another suggestion for you. Maybe the baby's parents will decide on something. Perhaps the baby will make something up.

In any case, I wouldn't worry about it. We've had everything in my family from Grammie to Gammie to Damma to Namaw to Nana to Unda. Yup - babies have a way of figuring it out.

Congratulations!!! And also congratulations on the civilized family relationships.

Suzieque

As a 36 year old wife of USMC Capt on a very small base; I couldn't imagine being called grandma....so decided that "Nanny" would work best. Now some 37 years later and 4 more grands; I am still "Nanny", to them and many other young friends and family. Nanny

My grandaughter isn't my blood, and she has other grandmas, so she calles me 'Gramma ....' (my first name) - works for me.

nanny...I too feel a little young for a grandma, I am 43.
AND my SO was a USMC Gunnery Sergeant. His son was recon.
I think I will talk it over with the kids and see what they want.

& if you want to be called by your first name, that'll work beautifully, too.

Close bonds don't depend on titles;
close bonds can form when little ones perceive us just as ourselves without categorizing us according to our "roles".

I didn't have an answer when my brother asked me what I'd like his children to call me, so he said, "It seems to me like you called our aunts by their first names (Lillie rather than Aunt Lillie, etc), & y'all always were close, so I was thinking my kids could call you Sylvia."

I thought that was very perceptive of him, since I did truly love my aunts.

& Sylvia it's been.

My stepson came up with my "grandma" name - GrandMary, which I love. My two stepgrandchildren live in Japan, and as it happens the syllables which make up GrandMary can be spelled out in hiragana quite easily.

They call his mother Nanny, and I don't remember the Japanese for "grandmother", but that's what they call their maternal grandmother.

Our great grandson has several grandmas and grandpas

He has Nana's and Grandma's...He calls my daughter Grandma , his other grandma Nana...and calls me Grandma Pat. funny thing is...he calls my husband Grandpa Pat...his name is Dennis

I think when there are so many..that calling them Grandma with the first name following is a good way. That way there isn't confusion.

Hi salgal,

When I read your subject line, I thought that someone should advise you to *never* make such an open-ended offer as that, around here - you'd likely be astonished/flabbergasted/submerged at some of the suggestions!

Our kids Grandma (Mom's side), liked the image of youthfulness (Koreans thought her to be almost my wife's sister when she visited us there, as hard work made Korean women look rather old, early in life), so she took umbrage at the suggestion of "Grandma" ... even with her name added to it ... so she was "Grammie", at her request, throughout her life.

My Mom died in '42 and the were born after 1960, so they never knew her. I don't remember what they called stepmother ... didn't see her often.

ole joyful

At least a couple of women I know use the name Granlan ...Can you add Grand or Gram to your first name. A couple of mine call me Ruthie because they were already pretty good sized kids and already knew their Grandmothers when I came into the picture and I'm perfectly fine with that.....Hearing their sweet voices saying "Ruthie" was really special to me. I don't know if your real name is Sal or now but maybe Gramsal or Grandsal....make up a name...Mine call me Granny or Nanny and they themselves came up with the name........

I have always been called "grandmother"

My grandfather's girlfriend was always Miss Nellie, of course her name was Nellie...

I am Grandma Sue here.

Sue

Grandma Vacation here! We live in up north Michigan on the lake, so the name fits.
Kathy G in MI

Kathy, what a fun name!! Your grandkids must associate you with fun times! :) My grandma lived in northern MI too and we called her "grandma at the lake". She lived near Traverse City; anywhere close to you?? (don't reveal your whereabouts if you don't want to!) :)

My great grandkids call me 'Grandma Happy'. Their Mom,my GD called me 'Happy' when she was small, why I don't know but it stuck and now that's she's married and they have all kinds of 'grandmas' from his folks and her folks she had them call me what she called me.

I had a friend whose grandchildren called her Honey.I always thought that was so sweet.I called my maternal grandmother,grandmother and my fraternal one grandma.My mother was adamant about being called grandmother so all of my kids called her that.The boys would try to get under he skin and called her grannie often.She would act like she was mad but not really.LOL My kids called DH's mother Mommie Bea.Her other grands called her grandmother.I always said I didn't care what my grands called me and all but the one that is now 11 and the twins call me grannie.The 11 year old started calling me GeGe (as in gee-zer)from the time he could talk.Probably because he couldn't say grannie,and it stuck.He would argue with the older ones that I wasn't grannie I was GeGe! The twins call me Ge.Don't know why because they haven't been around any of the others to hear either grannie or GeGe.Ge is fine with me though.Like others have said,they have a way of picking their own name for you and that makes it even more endearing.I don't see what difference it would make just because you and your SO aren't married.If you are in a committed relationship you are still grandma.I would ask the parents about it though just out of respect for the other grandparents.JMHO

My Granddaughter named me Grams and when she had
her baby, I am Greatgrams.
Dolly