Nicknames
So it's been three weeks since the birth of little Prince George of Cambridge and Prince Charles has been reported to have said he'll be Georgie soon. That was a few weeks ago, but it's prompted nickname discussions in one of the royal sites I lurk at. I was in shocked at how much venom was directed at nicknames. One poster actually said they snarled at someone who dared to call their child by a nickname. Other said they had friends who refused to answer by anything else but their name. It was bizarre!
I guess it's weird for me since I'm surrounded by people who have nicknames. I have two nicknames. So does my sister. Our original nicknames were shortened versions of our actual names, but when my brother came along, he couldn't pronounce our names, so he called us "J.J." and "B.B." Now he sometimes call us "J" or "B."
My brother is called by a nickname, too. I can't explain what it is; it's not a shortened version of it, but it's more like another version of his name. Of course, I get the opposite reaction with him. Anytime I call him by his real name, I get "His name is (nickname)!" It's weird.
My papa goes by the nickname "Pos." For a long time, I didn't know why until recently. (Don't get grossed out now). My papa's family used to catch possums and eat them. Well, one managed to bite my papa and his younger brother who still wasn't old enough to talk well, started yelling, "Shake it, Pos, shake it!" XD He was called Pos from then on out! Honestly, I thought it was cute! XD
And my aunt's husband has been called Sheep for as long as I can remember. I actually thought it was his real name until I got older! My dad is called by a shortened version by his middle name. My papa's brother was known as "Nuts" (no idea why). My granny was called a shorten version of her name, too, and her two of brothers were known as "Bo" and "Doc." The other was called a shorten version of his name.
So all this venom toward nicknames puzzles me. Why on earth would anyone be bothered by a nickname? I mean, if it was something mean, I could see why people wouldn't like a nickname. But something simple like "J.J." or "Pos" or even "Bo?" Why are people bothered by something like that?
I guess it's weird for me since I'm surrounded by people who have nicknames. I have two nicknames. So does my sister. Our original nicknames were shortened versions of our actual names, but when my brother came along, he couldn't pronounce our names, so he called us "J.J." and "B.B." Now he sometimes call us "J" or "B."
My brother is called by a nickname, too. I can't explain what it is; it's not a shortened version of it, but it's more like another version of his name. Of course, I get the opposite reaction with him. Anytime I call him by his real name, I get "His name is (nickname)!" It's weird.
My papa goes by the nickname "Pos." For a long time, I didn't know why until recently. (Don't get grossed out now). My papa's family used to catch possums and eat them. Well, one managed to bite my papa and his younger brother who still wasn't old enough to talk well, started yelling, "Shake it, Pos, shake it!" XD He was called Pos from then on out! Honestly, I thought it was cute! XD
And my aunt's husband has been called Sheep for as long as I can remember. I actually thought it was his real name until I got older! My dad is called by a shortened version by his middle name. My papa's brother was known as "Nuts" (no idea why). My granny was called a shorten version of her name, too, and her two of brothers were known as "Bo" and "Doc." The other was called a shorten version of his name.
So all this venom toward nicknames puzzles me. Why on earth would anyone be bothered by a nickname? I mean, if it was something mean, I could see why people wouldn't like a nickname. But something simple like "J.J." or "Pos" or even "Bo?" Why are people bothered by something like that?