The bestowing of the nickname...
In my family there is a tradition. There are many traditions, actually. We make up songs with every child, most of which fall by the wayside, but one that usually sticks. For me, it was "Rocks in My Socks" and my Dad would sing it with me for hours on road trips. He still sings it with the grandkids. It's one of the ones that stuck.
Then there is the history of telling stories. Is it that my family picked up the Gullah storytelling tradition from the years of living on Tybee Island? Maybe. I think it goes back before that. Dad could probably answer that question for me, but that would take away the mystery of it all, and the mystery is part of the appeal. We have just as much fun telling stories about telling stories as we do telling the stories themselves. Like the songs, many stories come and go, but few stand the test of time. "Uncle Bunk" stories are the ones that have stood the test of time, much like the beloved "Lake Wobegone" stories we would listen to with Dad as children.
And then there is the tradition of bestowing the nicknames. Most families have nicknames. We are no different. And like the songs and the stories, there are many that come and go. The one that sticks, however, usually has a story of it's own, which makes it extra special. Mine is Scooter. I can tell you the story later, as it had it's own unique evolution that took place over 13 years.
With Jenna, we already have a bunch of nicknames, like Monkey, Monkey Feet, Munchkin and Booger. I waited with anticipation to see what my Dad would come up with, seeing as he is the leader in the making of the songs, telling of the stories...and the bestowing of the nicknames. I know many of these came from my Grandmama Surles' tradition of doing all of these. I hope Jenna has the same fond memories of my Dad and I doing this as I do of Grandmama Surles and Dad doing it with me.
A week or two after her birth, he let me know he was thinking. And then one day he let me know he had one. There really wasn't a lot of fanfare, as it came to me in a text message, but when it did it was so perfect. And it was totally something Grandmama Surles would have come up with, or if not, would have loved. So perfect given that Mae is a nod to her. I have a feeling this one, the first one, will be the one that sticks.
So...I introduce to you....
Then there is the history of telling stories. Is it that my family picked up the Gullah storytelling tradition from the years of living on Tybee Island? Maybe. I think it goes back before that. Dad could probably answer that question for me, but that would take away the mystery of it all, and the mystery is part of the appeal. We have just as much fun telling stories about telling stories as we do telling the stories themselves. Like the songs, many stories come and go, but few stand the test of time. "Uncle Bunk" stories are the ones that have stood the test of time, much like the beloved "Lake Wobegone" stories we would listen to with Dad as children.
And then there is the tradition of bestowing the nicknames. Most families have nicknames. We are no different. And like the songs and the stories, there are many that come and go. The one that sticks, however, usually has a story of it's own, which makes it extra special. Mine is Scooter. I can tell you the story later, as it had it's own unique evolution that took place over 13 years.
With Jenna, we already have a bunch of nicknames, like Monkey, Monkey Feet, Munchkin and Booger. I waited with anticipation to see what my Dad would come up with, seeing as he is the leader in the making of the songs, telling of the stories...and the bestowing of the nicknames. I know many of these came from my Grandmama Surles' tradition of doing all of these. I hope Jenna has the same fond memories of my Dad and I doing this as I do of Grandmama Surles and Dad doing it with me.
A week or two after her birth, he let me know he was thinking. And then one day he let me know he had one. There really wasn't a lot of fanfare, as it came to me in a text message, but when it did it was so perfect. And it was totally something Grandmama Surles would have come up with, or if not, would have loved. So perfect given that Mae is a nod to her. I have a feeling this one, the first one, will be the one that sticks.
So...I introduce to you....
Sugar Foots!
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