Would you do it?

Would you use [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] if your dad insisted he would be [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] to his grandkids?

It’s a conundrum I’ve been facing for a while now–one night around the dinner table, when we were talking about kids and the future and my love of baby names, I suggested [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] for him to go by when he actually has grandchildren (which I’ve always liked–both [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and Papa). He instantly loved it. (Ugh) That was before I’d fallen for [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] as a name for a girl, and now I’m completely and hopelessly in love with it. [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is a no-no, right? :frowning:

For what it’s worth, my parents do not have any grandkids yet, and probably won’t for at least half a decade, so it’s not as if [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]'s truly set in stone yet. But he REALLY has his heart set on it, and it’s quite adorable, really. :slight_smile: [name_f]My[/name_f] dad’s a rather standoffish type of person, and is not very affectionate or ushy-gushy-feely, but he has really latched on to the idea of being [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] to his grandkids, and I don’t want to let the poor guy down. :slight_smile: (Besides, my sister and I already call him Papi from our Spanish class days…)

On the other hand, I love [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] for all its significance. The poppy is generally seen as a symbol for veterans, and my dad, grandpa and brother are all veterans of the USAF, and flowers in general seem to symbolize my mom, since some of my earliest and fondest memories of her are of her in her garden. I have quite a lot of English/British ancestry, as well, so I like that [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]'s seen as such a British choice. I can see me with a [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], so easily.

I’m really wanting to add [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] to my list, but I feel like it should be a no-go. WDYT, Berries? Would you do it, or should it remain a GP forever?

Also, I’m not completely decided on whether I want to do just [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] or [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] nn [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]… Does [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] nn [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] make it better?

Thanks, ladies!

I don’t know… I’d be inclined not to. Your father seems to get a lot of joy from that nickname, but would probably not use it if his granddaughter was called the same thing. I think if you have other names you’ve really loved for a while it’d be nice to use them and let your dad use the nickname he feels connected to.

I wouldn’t. I call my grandfather [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and I would never be able to call my child that. [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] works a lot better, and you can decide whether or not to call her [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] later on. [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], and [name_f]Paulina[/name_f] all work for [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] also. :slight_smile:

Call me crazy, but I don’t think it would be all that bad if they both went by [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] make sure your daughter has a good middle name that flows well with her first; that way, he could call her (for example) [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f]Julia[/name_f] and refer to himself as just [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]/Papi.

Another idea: my dad’s sister-in-law used to affectionately call her dad “Pop-pop”. What about that as an alternative?

I wouldn’t do it and personally I don’t think [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is a great name, it doesn’t age very well.

Meh, I’m not sure. [name_f]My[/name_f] grandfather and step-grandfather were both Pop-Pop and I never found either very attractive to be honest. I like [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]/Papa/Grandpa, but my parents don’t think their old enough to warrant the title “Grandpa” or “Grandma”, haha. I guess I could do Papa, but argh, he’s so adorably set on [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]. I guess I could keep [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] on my list for now (since it’ll literally be years before I even consider having children, at the rate my job hunt and love life are going…), if I decide I want to, and then when I actually am having children, I could talk to him about it? [name_m]Say[/name_m] something along the lines of, “Hey, dad, I know you have been set on being called [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] by your grandkids for a really long time, and I would love for our kids to call you that, but we really love the name [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] for a girl–the flower is a symbol of veterans, and we really wanted to honor you, and Grandpa, and [name_m]Johnny[/name_m], and flowers in general just remind me of mom. I know you’re really picky about names, but would that be something you’re okay with? Being called [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and having a granddaughter named [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]?” I don’t know what I’d do if he said no, though. Maybe suggest we could come up with a new name for him together, if we end up going with [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]?

At this point, it very likely wouldn’t be my daughter’s name. I don’t know how many kids I’ll end up with, but my top 6 or so is pretty set as it is ([name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Arianne[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]), so I’m not sure that [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] would ever break that barrier. However, one of my MNs for [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] is [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] ([name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]), so I obviously couldn’t use both [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] or whatever.

Since there are other names you like, I would probably skip it as a first name and use it as a middle if you just can’t let it go. Especially if you were choosing it to honor your father as a veteran, it would be fine for your daughter to have the middle name [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and also call her grandpa [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]. I just think it would be confusing to call them both [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]. Your father may like the idea of being called [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] for the same reason you want to use it, because it symbolizes veterans. If it makes him that happy, I’d let him have it.

I wouldn’t do it.

It sounds to me like your dad really wants to be a special, loving figure to his grandkids, and them calling him [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is part of that (at least in his mind). So I’d let him go with being [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and choose another one of your list to call your daughter. Also, you can always call her [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] as a nn and she can go by her full name to other family members.

Personally, I would let [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] go. Your father is in love. :slight_smile: And since you were the one to suggest it to him in the first place, it wouldn’t be fair to take it back, would it? Besides, by the time you are ready to have children, you may have outgrown your love for the name. For me, [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is where it belongs - as a term of endearment for a grandfather.

@mischa, that’s a good point. Honestly, I hadn’t looked at it that way and it makes the most sense. I was the one that suggested it, after all, and it’d be mean of me to take it back. I wonder if it’s still okay to use it as a middle? I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] that it has so much meaning to my family (and not just for my dad), too. Is it just as bad as a middle?

Honestly, my dad and I have never had the best relationship–he had some issues when I was very young that he had to deal with that caused me to doubt his love for me, and he does have such a gruff, impersonal appeal, despite his deep love for his family. It’s sometimes hard to see, but I know now that he really does love us, he just doesn’t really know how to show it. But I desperately want my kids to know his love, to have a really great relationship with him that I never had, and also, that great relationship with grandpa that I never really had (all of my grandfathers died when I was young, so I never really knew them). Of course, I hope my future hypothetical husband’s dad is a great grandfather, too, but I don’t want all of us to lose out on a great relationship with my dad, if that makes sense? I think maybe giving [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] to him is a part of that. I want him excited about being a grandpa, excited to be involved in their lives, and I do hope he showers his love upon them and spoils them all he wants, haha.

Och, and I was so ready to add [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] to my list. :frowning:

Maybe you only want the name because now it’s something you can’t have? Something along those lines?