More than 20 years ago Claire started sending questions for the 4 sisters to answer, with personal histories in mind. She accumulated quite a few responses from us but there were only four that all four of us answered. For fun, we answered the questions again. So here's the first one, about our nicknames - or lack thereof!!
Did
you have a nickname as a child? Did any of your family members have
nicknames?
@2000
Linda:
I never had a nickname but I sure wished for it. I decided to give
myself a nickname in 2nd
grade but my choice of Nickie never caught on. I never really liked
my name for that reason. You can’t really shorten Linda or add
anything nice or endearing to it. Even now, I can’t think of
anything great that makes it sound like a good Grandma name. Grandma
Linda is just too boring. I wanted to go with Grandma Cookie but the
kids thought that idea was dumb. The only variation to my name was
Claire’s version of it...Lala. I thought it was cute. How does
Grandma Lala sound?
I
always enjoyed calling my sisters by pet names. The easiest to rename
was Annette. We could (and did) call her Nette, Nut, Nut-Nut, or
Nette Nette. Claire’s pet name during a time period when she was
grouchy was Claire Bear. Kathi is still Kath to me.
2019
Linda:
I
sure WANTED a nickname as a child. It didn’t count that Claire
called me “LaLa” because it didn’t stick with anyone else. In
2nd or 3rd grade
I decided to give myself a nickname and dubbed myself “Nicky.” I
remember writing my full name on school papers: Linda Joan Nicky
Forman. My childhood friend, Linda Gallamore Fuoss, recently told me
that she remembered that I had asked her to call me Nicky! I had to
wait until I was a grandma to have a nickname. Julie’s kids brought
back LaLa and this name makes me happy!
@2000
Kathi:
Claire Bear. Forman the Mormon. That’s all the nicknames I recall!
2019
Kathi:
I was mostly Kath. John rarely calls me anything else. If he says
“Kathi” or “Kathleen” then I know he’s trying to get my
attention! Mom has never called me anything but the full thing, and
will not spell it without the ‘y’ on the end. Even 50 years after
I changed it! Nothing rhymed with my name so it wasn’t fun, and
this was a horror once when I went to a Seminary Leadership Training
after being called to the Stake Seminary presidency when I was in
high school. We were split into small groups, circled up and did a
silly game where you had to rhyme your name and then remember
everyone else’s name and rhyme. I absolutely panicked trying to
think of something that rhymed with Kathi – THERE WAS NOTHING!
NOTHING!!! WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO WHEN THEY GOT TO ME?!?! And when
they got to me the game just fizzled since I had no rhyme. I was
horrified! Since then I’ve thought of bathy or mathy but I had
nothing in that moment. I wonder what my friend Geneva said in her
group…?
We
called Heidi Heidi
Moo for
some unknown reason. Ian was Ian
McBe-an. Emily
called him Ian-David-Stop-That when
she learned to talk. Wonder why?? Emily was Emmy
Lou. And
John's dad called them all Dog
Face. Never
warmed to that!
@2000
Claire:
My name, Claire, rhymes with so many words, I was always teased.
“Teacher, teacher, I deCLAIRE, I see someone’s underwear.”
“Claire
Bear”
“Claire
the Pear”
“Forman
the Mormon” was a favorite, not! That was a high school name.
Linda
was always Linda. Kathi was sometimes Kath and Annette is Nette. John
liked calling Annette Nettje.
2019
Claire:
Claire
the Pear, Claire Bear, Teacher Teacher I declare, I see someone's
underwear but mostly Forman the Mormon. I called Annette Nette. I'm
told I called Linda Lala.
@2000
Annette:
Everyone called and still calls me “Nette.” Can’t say I like it
very much but it stuck! Also been Called Nette-Nette. Used to be
called Nut, or Nut-Nut which likely fit me better.
2019
Annette:
Family
members? MY new family or my childhood family? Bryce: Buddy Boy,
Stephanie: Honey Girl, Scott: Pumpkin Boy, Marianne: Grumpus Maximus
(Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash)
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