Marme

Feels like I'm being blog-prolific tonight, but I had to share this bit 'o..something. When I first met Will's mom two years ago, I wasn't sure what to call her. I'm pretty sure I just called her Mrs. B., but I don't really remember.

As I went to more family stuff and Will and I got more serious, I started thinking of nicknames. First one was Mama Anne. I think that one was because Will calls her Mama sometimes...and it's cute. I called her "Will's mom" or "Anne" when I spoke about her to my parents. It stayed that way for a long time, actually. But recently I started noticing that Jessica calls her Marme. I figured it was a mother-daughter thing, so backed off from that, because I thought it would sound weird coming from me.

Then my bridal shower came along last weekend, and hers was the first gift I opened. My mom kind of announced it to the group that the first gift I was opening was from my mother-in-law. So then Will's mom got up and said, "No, it's not from her mother-in-law...it's from her Marme!"

She made this whole little speech, saying that she wants to be called Marme because it's more familiar. And she actually explained that, yes, it's just like Marmee in Little Women. She spells it differently (only one 'e') but it's the same idea. (Will's not a reader, so he has no idea about Little Women or any of the characters.)

That little explanation made me feel like I really AM part of the family. Sappy, yes, but it cleared up some things too. I know how to refer to her, and I won't take the "Mom" title from my mother. So everybody's happy.

Yay!