Remember when the big reveal following the birth of a baby was the question, “Boy or girl?”

The answer’s not the mystery it used to be. Most parents today know what they are having ahead of the birth. In fact, “reveal” parties where a mystery piñata spills out pink or blue confetti are one of the latest trends.

Now the big question on everyone’s mind now is the naming of the grandparent.

There’s various websites devoted to the topic, books such as, “The New Grandparents Name Book,” and some great YouTube videos, like the one sent to me within hours after I announced that I too was in search of a grandparent name. View Choosing a Grandma Name is Serious Business.

The idea isn’t new. Long before everyone else got into the act, Jacqueline Onassis was called Grand Jackie by daughter Caroline’s three kids. Today’s celebrities are jumping in with both feet. Goldie Hawn hit on the perfect compromise when her first grandchild, Kate Hudson’s son Ryder, began calling her Glam-Ma. Susan Saradon opted for “Honey”. Catherine Deneuve won’t reveal what her grandchildren call her, but she confirms that “they certainly do not call me Grand-mama.”

The horror of it all!

Clearly, baby boomers are fighting against an image of a grandmother with tightly permed white/blue hair, wearing a dowdy sweater, perhaps knitting in a rocking chair, They seem themselves as anyone but an out-of-touch older women, smelling slightly of Noxzema and boiled potatoes.

Both my grandmothers were anything but this image. They were bright, funny and knew exactly what was going on around them. Both remained connected to the current day as long as they were able, and one in particular kept me stylish (not the other way around).  If I could aspire to any image out there, I’d pick either one in a heartbeat.

My only regret is that I didn’t talk more with them, or learned more about them—not as “grandma” but as women, one named Mabel, the other Dora.

So after careful thought (and a lot of self talk to smarten up my “older” self), I’ve landed on Grandma Beth.

Don’t think I ever saw either of them knit (and hey, I knit, so what’s the point?).; one was too busy running a household; the other, saving the world through volunteer work. And as for a rocking chair, I can only dream about retiring at this stage. Plus, rocking chairs don’t really work when you’re on a laptop.

Baby Patrick, born October 16, 2018, 7 lb. 8 oz. Proud grandparents, Grandma Beth and Grandpa (John).