Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Monday, April 16, 2012

Baby Named? Just a Starting Point . . .

'The Beanster'.
And a friend.

We had a good friend, Peter.
Whose parents, when he was small, called him Petey-Pie.
He thought that was his name.
Petey-Pie.
On his first day of school, there was some heated discussion about what name he should respond to.
The teacher won.
And Peter, he became.
I thought Petey-Pie was a cute name.
I used it.
Often.
To the point where he regretted telling my husby and me the story.
Moving ahead . . .
We had given our first daughter a very nice name when she was born.
Caitlin Diane.
Very nice.
It suited her.
Until she started getting around.
Unlike most toddlers, who . . . toddle . . .
 . . . she hopped.
Everywhere she went.
My Husby began to call her ’Tigger-Pie’.
It suited her.
Thus, she became Caitlin ‘Tigger-Pie’ Tolley.
Until it was time to prepare her for her first day of school.
Remember Petey-Pie?
Those lessons would apply here.
We had been careful to make sure our little daughter knew her first name was ‘Caitlin’.
But we hadn’t realized that she now thought her middle name was ‘Tigger-Pie’.
Sigh.
For weeks, I tried to explain to her, “Caitlin Diane Tolley.”
To which she would respond.
Loudly.
“Not Diane! Tigger-Pie!”
Drat.
She finally figured it out.
Slowly.
Recently, I saw her little daughter, Erini (also know as ‘Rini-Bean’, or ‘Beanster’ for short) hopping across the room.
“Wow.” I said. “Beanster, you remind me of your mother!”
She laughed.
And then I realized what I had said.
Sigh.
Here we go again . . .

15 comments:

  1. I recall my teacher asking me if I knew how to spell my "other" name yet...there was a can of worms.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I'd love to hear how you responded . . . My younger brother, Blair, thought his names were all one name BlairLewisStringam. Though for him it rather came out Bairloostrinm. Spell that!

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  2. And then, of course, on days when she and her sister are driving me nuts, she's "YOU!" or "ACK! NO ! STOP!" or even "GET OUTTA THAT!"

    Ah, memories...

    Oh, BTW, the horse's name was Lacey Jane...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awe its ok. The day comes when they come to you and demand you call them what they want to be called and God forbid you don't.
    But in your mind they will always be our loveling beautiful tiggers and beanies. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true! Our middle son's middle name is Duff. But some family members objected to it, so he was 'Duff' to us and 'Robin' to the world. Until he got older. Then he demanded that everyone call him 'Duff'. He loves it! But in my heart, he will always be my little 'Duff-in-stuff'.

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  4. Such a sweet story! I've often described my middle son to others as a "Tigger", but never called him that. After reading your story, I suppose I did him a favor! haha! Thanks for the trip down your memory lane, Diane!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Beth! You're obviously smarter than me! :)

      Delete
  5. Hahaha! Love it!! But what's wrong with giving a child an actual middle name based on their personality? I think 'Tigger-pie' is AWESOME!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now why didn't I think of that? Like many native peoples. Name them something appropriate! Life would be so easy!

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  6. Diane,
    I am new to NOBH, and found your blog! What a lovely post on nicknames. Somehow, the sweetness of those names rings true, especially to those of us who love those little faces. Thanks for sharing these stories.
    Blessings,
    Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to the neighbourhood, Ann! And you're so right about the sweet little faces! My Caitlin, grown now with daughters of her own, will always be my little 'Tigger-Pie'!

      Delete
  7. Tigger-pie is so adorable! We just can't help using cute terms of endearment for our most beloved kids, right? Yes, and when they grow up, the cute names remain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true. She's grown with kids of her own, but she'll always be Tigger-Pie to me!

      Delete

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