My [name_f]MIL[/name_f] asked to be called “[name_f]Ama[/name_f],” which sounds like “Mama” to me. What do you think?
It’s her choice and it has to be respected. Especially if it’s tied to her name
I’ve never heard of it as a name for a grandmother, it’s a bit odd. Has she got a reason for it?
If you don’t like it / aren’t comfortable with it because it sounds like Mama then you should say no. It’s ultimately up to you and your child will pick up whatever name you use to refer to your [name_f]MIL[/name_f].
I agree with this. Is [name_f]Ama[/name_f] supposed to be in reference to her being a grandmother, or just derived from her own name?
Thank you for your thoughts, ladies!! My [name_f]MIL[/name_f] is of Chinese descent, but doesn’t speak any Chinese languages. She found out that [name_f]Ama[/name_f] is used to refer to a grandma in her native area’s dialect. I do think it’s a lovely idea, but feel very uncomfortable when she says it in her southern (USA) accent. I’ve been thinking about calling her, “Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f]” and seeing what happens :-?
It is a bit odd… perhaps if you all try to pronounce it like “am-ah” not “ah-ma”?
Is this her first grandchild? If there are others, then maybe that name will stick? She can request [name_f]Ama[/name_f] all she wants, but grandkids have a way of coming up with their own “grandparent” names 
I do hope this will happen and it will be a non-issue, but if it truly bothers you, share your concerns. You are the mom, not her. Your wishes deserve respect, too…and I daresay more than hers.
I work in a Montessori preschool and we get a lot of different names for grandmothers from our students, including [name_f]Baba[/name_f], Opa, [name_f]Nan[/name_f], [name_f]Nana[/name_f], Moogie, and [name_f]Ama[/name_f]! I think it’s cute that grandparents have names they prefer. I grew up using Grandmother/Grandma, but nicknamed my favorite grandmother Gamma/Grams/Grammy. Personally I would like to pick my grandmother term, as well. The family I know that uses [name_f]Ama[/name_f], the mother also goes by Mama and it doesn’t seem to be an issue.
I say go with it. She’s wanting to connect with her roots, and it sounds sweet. Where’s it going to be an issue? It’s not like your child is going to get confused between you or about which one is her mother. For a while my niece used to call my sister “mommy” and my mom (my niece’s grandma) “mom”: because “mom” is what she heard my sister call her! But she was never confused about the different roles.
I think you should respect it. Unless you are planning on going by mama instead of mom.
Tell her that you will refer to her as Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f] until baby is old enough to start calling you mum/mummy (or whatever variation you plan on using). Explain that you are concerned that baby will get the words ama and mama mixed up (especially when their first trying to find their voice and end up saying “ama” anyway).
Considering you are the primary caregiver it is ultimately your choice at the end of the day. Be respectful but be firm.
I think it’s a lovely idea! And Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f] is a good option for keeping it from sounding too much like Mama. 
I wouldn’t. If it makes you even a little bit uncomfortable, then it’s not worth using. I strongly disagree with the posters saying that it’s her choice. It’s YOUR baby so YOUR choice.
For what it’s worth, my son is almost 2 and calls me Mama. We always referred to me as Mummy but he chose Mama. I would be so uncomfortable if my mum or [name_f]MIL[/name_f] wanted to be [name_f]Ama[/name_f]
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I’m of chinese descent too and I do call my mom’s mom “[name_f]Ama[/name_f]” (and call my mom “mama”). No issue at all, but then again, this is what I’m used to since I was little. I don’t think it’s weird again, especially since she actually has cultural reference to this. Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f] seems a bit redundant to me.
Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f] is extremely weird to me, not just because of the redundancy but also because it’s long and doesn’t flow very nicely. I grew up calling my maternal grandmother “[name_f]Ama[/name_f]”, my mum was mama, I never got confused and neither did my mum or grandmother, and calling her that was my choice, I was given the option of Grandmother, grandma, etc. if you do decide to go with Grandma [name_f]Ama[/name_f], I can almost guarantee you the child will shorten it, and probably go with [name_f]Ama[/name_f], it’s short and easy to say and spell.
I don’t understand why this is a topic of debate. I’ve always been of the impression that the grandchildren are the ones to choose what their grandparents are called. [name_f]Ama[/name_f] may not even stick; your kids could just as easily end up calling her [name_f]Nana[/name_f] or [name_m]Gram[/name_m].
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I would at least give [name_f]Ama[/name_f] a try. It’s a great way for your child to connect with their roots and it’s clearly a name that works for lots of other families. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t wouldn’t worry about the confusion, your baby will know that you’re mama!
I thought it was Amah for Chinese.
Jewish friends call themselves Bubbie and Zaydee instead of Grammie & Grandpa.
In [name_u]Texas[/name_u] grandmother is Big Mama.
One friend wanted to be called [name_f]Mimi[/name_f], became Gramma [name_f]Mimi[/name_f].
Another chose Memmay, a [name_m]French[/name_m] sound. I think in [name_m]French[/name_m] it’s meme.
In my family we add the surname, like Granny [name_m]Smith[/name_m] and Grammie [name_m]Brown[/name_m]. This way the child understands they have more than one, and why.
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My in laws are also Chinese, but they grew up there and speak the language as their first.
In their language, Mom and maternal Grandma both sound like Mama, but they use a different tone for each. So far I’m usually mommy. It’s hard for me to hear the difference in tones, so it’s a little awkward for me, but I understand. My family has been American for 4 generations now (from Greece) and we still use Yiayia and Papou to refer to our grandparents.
Also, my kid has a Greek grandma and a Chinese paternal grandpa, which are called respectively Yiayia and YeYe.
So my kid has a Mahmah and a Marmar plus a Yiayia and a Yeye. To complicate things further, my kid and her cousins are supposed to refer to their shared Chinese grandparents differently because my husband has sisters. The titles are different depending on whether you’re referring to the maternal or paternal side. So my SILs kids call my inlaws Porpor and gong gong.
Because I can’t properly use the correct tones I do refer to my [name_f]MIL[/name_f] as grandma sometimes.
Anywho… what to call grandparents gets to be a surprisingly complicated subject. Who knows what our grandkids will call us if we have them!
Amusing sidenote I know someone who thinks she’s too cool to be a grandma and wants to be called “Glam-Ma”. Good luck with that.
I think, even if sometimes children decide what to call grandparents, they usually repeat how you call them. If you and your husband don’t call her [name_f]Ama[/name_f], she only calls herself [name_f]Ama[/name_f], it probably won’t stick. If you plan on going by Mama, I don’t think your child will confuse the roles. But, if you find it annoying, even if it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, you have to tell her respectfully. It won’t be healthy if everytime you hear your child calling her [name_f]Ama[/name_f], would bother you.
Idk what [name_f]Mil[/name_f] is, but it doesnt sound like mama to me, though toddlers usually say mommy anyway.