Terms of Endearment

[Ozymandius Jones]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]All the name/nickname/username threads got me thinking about this.

How do you feel about terms of endearment?

For example, the proper name for a parents' mother is "Grandmother." But hardly anyone I know calls their grandmother "Grandmother." For example, I call my grandmothers Grammom and Nana. My grandfathers are Popop and Pappy.

The same goes for parents. I never call my Dad "Father," and my mom is only "Mother," when my brother is annoying me. They're always "Mama," "Mommy," "Dad," "Daddy," and [occasionally] "Papa Bear."

By the same token, relatives come up with new names for you - my grammom will call me "sweetie," "honey," or "little lady" almost as often as she calls me "Sarah." My brother - who is six one, now, at the tender age of 13 - is still "little man" to my grammom. My mother calls me "Sarey-Sue," my father calls me "Blondie."

Friends also supply new names, they can be variations on your real name, or something completely off the wall, but most of the time a nickname means that you've been accepted by someone enough for them to give you a new name. [Obviously, hazing nicknames are a different story, but that's...a different story.]

So...do terms of endearment qualify as "endearing" to you? Some people I know find name shortenings, and the creation of entirely new names to be the most annoying thing on the face of the planet, while [for the most part] I take them as affectionate...

So what's your opinion?[/COLOR]

[Semjaza]

They're okay within reason. I don't really call anyone anything, myself. I don't even really like using short forms of names. Everyone calls my girlfriend "Jess", but I just can't bring myself to say that instead of Jessica. Don't ask me, especially since Tony is obviously short for Anthony (which isn't my first name to begin wtih). A lot of people just call me "Tone"... I guess the extra "y" is hard for people or something.

At times they just get obnoxious... I've known some people who call eachother weird names constantly and it just starts to get really weird lol. I'm talking people who are to the level of "schmoopie" in Seinfeld, though.

[MommySkullFish]

We use plenty terms of endearment. It does get a little "weird" with the things me and my boyfriend call each other, or our alternate ways to say "I love you", but we don't do it incessantly in public. I just call him Mattie, and he'll call me mostly "mejorpie", "Jorpie", or "Medorpie". We say "jubbo", "lubbadub", and "lubbu" as some of our alternate ways to say "I love you". We also use the standard "hun", and I throw "sweetie" in there once in a while.

I call my mom "mom" or "ma", and my dad "dad". When I'm talking to my sister, I call my mom "Mommy" and my dad "Daddy". I'm 25 years old.

I call my son "Bobster", and my hamsters are "Squeeble" (her name is Squee), "Shushuie" (her name is Shu Shu), and "Shagster" or "Shoggy" (his name is Shaggy). My rat is "Ratbert" or "Nakkie" (his name is Ardnak).

Someone here at work even made up a new name for me - "Jax". She just started calling me that one day, and she's the only one who does.

My dad used to call me "Jack the k'nack", but he also makes up lots of other words. He's infamous for it.

My son calls me "Momster" sometimes when he's talking to his dad, and his dad is "Dadster" or "Dadoo" when he's talking to me. He also does use the "dad" and "mom" or "mommy" and "daddy", but he uses the sillier ones when he's being... you know... silly.

I don't have any grandparents anymore, but I used to call my grandmother "Nonna", the Italian word for Grandmother. I never really saw my grandfather, but in conversation, he was "pop pop".

My son calls my mom "ri-ri" (that's a long story) and my dad "pop pop". He calls his father's parents just "grandma and pop pop".

We call my cats "axy" and "zig" or "zigster" (axl and ziggy).

My sister and I are just "Nat" and "Jack" to each other. My sister calls her boyfriend "Paulie" instead of Paul.

Jeez, that sounds like a lot... I guess we like terms of endearment!

[Panda]

I am totally fine with people using terms of endearment until you hear the lovey-dovey couple in the line at the grocery store calling each other saccrine sweet names...usually something ending in the letters "ie". You know, like Smookie-Pookie. Yikes, gives me cavities thinking about it!

I use a few terms of endearment for my family. I call my mom and dad...mom and dad...unless I am joking around with them then they are mommy and daddy. My big brother's name is Hiroshi and I call him Hiro. My best friend Jennifer I call Jen. John I call Pup. Long story there and I am sure you guys don't want to hear it. My friend Kevin I call Kev. Pretty much I just shorten peoples names and call them that if I feel comfortable enough to do that. The only exception is my brother-in-law. His name is Nathan and I have never called him Nate. His friends do but I never have. Neither does John. It's weird. I think since John only calls his brother by his full name I do the same.

As for me I only get called Panda. John gave me that nickname and now my friends refer to me by that name as well. The main focus of all my terms of endearment would be my dog Brynner. I call him Bun Bun, Boo Boo, Bear Buns, Boja Bos or Boo Bears. Sometimes when I am petting him I use them all one after the other. I know, I complain about those lovey-dovey couples yet I talk to my dog this way. I'm lame. LOL

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=#F84E20][SIZE=1]Don't worry, Panda, I used to call my dogs all sorts of stupid names. >>

Like "Jupi-boy", for my Ridgeback, his name was Jupiter.

I really don't mind when someone uses a nickname for me, as long as it isn't too stupid or...sweet. If the nickname makes sense then I'll accept it.

A few examples:
?Sean (OB Sean, yes) calls me Jim-Jam. I like that nickname ^^ it's cute. I call him Seany in return, so it's all good.
?Boo (and a few others) call me Gurt. The story isn't anything special--Boo decided I had too many usernames that he couldn't remember, so he christened me Gurt. At least that's what he told me.
?ULX calls me all sorts of things, but usually "babe", "love", and "pet" are what he uses. I also use "love" on him, with the occasional "baby". He also calls me Jay when we aren't being all lovey.
?Most of my friends call me Jay, which is actually what the vast majority of people I know calls me, even some teachers.
?My family calls me "darling" or "babe", which I really like, makes me feel loved and wanted. ^_^;
?Some friends call me Jay-Jay...but that really annoys me...not sure why, actually, just irks me to no end. And they know it. *shakes fist*

As far as family goes, I stick with "Grandma", "Nanny", "Mum", and "Dad". My aunts and uncles I call by their first names only.

I agree with Ozy, I think nicknames and whatnot are great if they aren't too silly, it makes me feel as if the people who use them on me (if you will) or comfortable enough around me to know they don't have to be formal.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

I never got used to calling my parents or grandmothers by their formal titles, my father is referred to as simple Dad, my mother is referred to as Mom or Mam, or if I'm looking for a favour a very sweetly said Mammy. My maternal grandmother who took care of my siblings and me growing up is referred to as Gran or more so by me "Gags", I think "Gags" or "Gaggy" came about when I was very small and couldn't pronounce Grandma. My other grandmother is referred to as Gran as well but we don't see her nearly as much so it's more formal that other my other grandmother.

Both my grandfathers are dead and were dead before I was born so I never got the opportunity to give them endearing names. I tend to be far more formal when dealing with my uncles and aunts, referring to my mother's brother who is only seventeen years older than myself as Uncle Colin and it drives him mental, which I find very entertaining. Same goes for all my father's brothers, and all my granduncles and aunts, I just grew up referring to them by their more formal title. As for names from relations for me, I don't recall any off the top of my head it seems to be far simpler to just call me Gavin.

Actually my father came up with new names for myself and my brother David, David became Percy and I was redubbed Reginald, we tend to use the names if we're messing around or being more jokingly ostentatious. [/SIZE]

[Latharix_sama]

I love terms of endearment! I still giggle when grandmama calls me charlie brown!
I especially love the one Michal (the pervert power man!) gave to me: Miss. Kittycat.
Not because I like the word itself, though, I think its because he hugs me from behind and whispers it into my ear.
Terms of endearment don't make me happy because they sound cute, I love 'em because it means that somebody out there likes me!

[Zhara]

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']I'm talking people who are to the level of "schmoopie" in Seinfeld, though.[/quote]

[COLOR=Purple][FONT=Garamond]Oh my GOD. My boyfriend and I call each other that! Now, you probably think it's dumb, but it's because I hate Seinfeld and he loves it...So he made me watch the Soup Nazi episode with him (this was the day before I would leave for vacation for a month) and decided we would call each other "Smoopie" from then on. Other than that, I call my grandmom "Gram" because she has the same name as her grandmom, and she was apparently a real b****.[/FONT][/COLOR]