A Rose By Any Other Name...

For years, I have read the comic strip "For Better or For Worse" and have followed along with all of the trials and tribulations of the Patterson family. I would always giggle a little when Michael would *affectionately* call his sister Elizabeth "lizard breath." Having not grown up with any siblings of my own, I never had to endure this type of teasing. While reading one of the recent strips, I did begin contemplating nicknames and realized that I have more than I thought. Gratefully, most of these stem from actual affection from family and friends, although I wouldn't be surprised to find out that I had a few I didn't know about as well.

Di - not surprisingly, the most common, and used by family and friends alike. I suspect that this is an easy way for people not to have to deal with the whole "she spells her name one way but pronounces it a different way" drama.

DiDi - my cousin Doug called me this when he was a young child as he couldn't say my whole name. It actually stuck and even now in our 30s he will occasionally refer to me in this fashion.

D - a former co-worker was the first person to use this one. I can still hear him say (in strong southern accent) "Heeeyyy, D!"

Kingery - another former co-worker. He had a tough time for a few weeks after I married.

DiBeth - from my friend Lori in high school. I called her Lori Ann.

Cupcake - from my mom. :) She still addresses birthday cards, etc. to that name.

Be-Bop - again from my mom. This one actually fits me better than I would like to admit. A former high school boyfriend heard her call me that one day and really enjoyed a laugh! He started using it occasionally after that as well.

Baby Girl - from my dad. :) All girls should have a daddy like the one I had...

Liz - again from my dad. I actually prefer my middle name of Elizabeth over my given name. Dad would occasionally tease and call me Liz.

Angel / Honey / others that I won't type - my husband, Scott. Self-explanatory. :)

Beautiful - the maintenance man at my current job. LOL

Punkin - My uncle Dick. He was blind and I spent a lot of time as a teenager driving him around and we became very close. He has passed now, but I still smile when I think about him calling me that.

LadyBug - My manager at work. She is a very motherly type of person to her staff.

Jake's Mommy - the children in our neighborhood. They might not know my name, but they know my puppy is named, Jake!

I must confess that I have casually adopted "D" for myself. I tend to sign notes and emails that way.

So while I don't currently have anyone in my life to call me "lizard breath" (for which I am forever grateful) I have plenty of other names to which to answer. Even the ones that may grate on my nerves a little, I still love as I know they are said to me out of true affection. Keep that in mind the next time I call you "Mo" instead of Monique or "Noogle" instead of Scott. It's just because I love you...