Dumplin, Monkey, Snickerdoodle!

 Since becoming a parent almost 3 years ago, I have begun to notice how common it is for parents to give their children nicknames.  Some are standard nicknames, like calling Robert "Bobby" instead or calling William "Will" or Benjamin "Ben" or Patricia "Patty" or Christina "Tina."  It's not uncommon to hear that a boy who shares his father's name might be called "Junior."  I even attended high school with a boy called "Tres" (which he pronounced 'tray') because he was the third in his family to have the same name -- both his father and grandfather had the same name.  These sorts of nicknames are fairly common, and no one seems to bat an eye or give a second thought when being introduced to Jeff (instead of Jeffrey) or Jake (instead of Jacob) or Becky (instead of Rebecca).

 ► Monkey

 ► Wiggle Butt

 ► Squeaker

 ► Apple

 ► Sweet Pea

 ► Worm

 ► Bean

 ► Squirt

 ► Cookie

 ► Giggle Bear

 ► Toodles

 ► Pickle

But not all nicknames bestowed upon children are as obvious or easily-explained.  I can't help but scratch my head at the frequency with which I hear doting parents discussing their children and calling them by some of the most off-the-wall names:

 ► Boo

 ► Snicker

 ► Button

 ► Sissy

 ► Dumplin'/Dumpling

 ► Toots

 ► Lovey/Lovie

 ► Biscuit Eater

 ► Muffin

 ► Skittle

 ► Punkin/Punk'n/Pumpkin

 ► Boogie

 ► Peanut

 ► Doodles

 ► Booger

 ► Sweet Potato

 ► Smoochie

 ► Chiquita

 ► Prawn

 ► Midget

 ► Munchkin

 ► Doodlebug

 ► Piglet

And these are just the names I've kept record of hearing since school started back at the end of August!

I know it's natural to want to bestow some special term of endearment upon your child.  Believe me, I get it!  And while I'll admit I'm not entirely innocent in this nickname game, myself -- I often call Kaleb "sweetie" or "baby" or "darlin" -- I also know that these are names I use because, well, I live in the South.....and down here we tend to Sweetie, Honey, and Darlin' just about everyone.

Of course I realize it's not for me to tell other parents what they should or should not call their children, but I can't help but remember a number of awkward moments during my childhood and teen years when one of my friend's parents would use some nickname in front of their child's peers/friends.  Everything would get quiet, as we all shared silently in our friend's obvious embarrassment at being called "RooRoo" or "Bear Cub" or "Sweet Cheeks" in front of a group of pals.  While I know there will be plenty of times that I embarrass Kaleb as he grows up -- all parents end up doing it whether they intend to or not -- I hope to avoid causing that embarrassment by calling him by some silly name.

But of all the crazy nicknames I hear, I have to say that the one that bugs me the most is, without a doubt,

Bubba!

In fact, that was the first "battle" I had with some of Kaleb's paternal relatives: getting them to not call him "Bubba!"

I'm sure that my geography is partly to blame for the frequency with which I hear this nickname.  I'd bet "Bubba" isn't nearly so common in the North or West as it is here in the South.  In fact, once you leave the Southern States, "Bubba" is more often derogatory than endearing.  I've met plenty of Bubbas, Bubbies, Big Bubbas, and Lil' Bubbas over the years.  But no matter how many of them I meet, there is still only one image that comes to my mind when I hear the name:

What about you?  Do you have a baby Bubba?  Or do you have some other wonderful or wacky nickname for your kids?