Nicknames are welcome in my family. I find them very comforting. I think nicknames are a sign of love, affection and a certain amount of intimacy. My parents have called me "Marykins" for as long as I can remember. Sometimes my mom shortens it to "Kins". She has also called me "Sweet Stuff" but when Leah was born, I lost that title to her.
My brother called me MoogPaloog or Palooger. He also calls me "Mare" which bothers our mom, but I don't mind it one bit!
For awhile one of my friends called me "Ellen".
Lynn has called me "Lambchop" or "Lambchop Queen" for most of our marriage. Laurie called me "Mimi" the first time she met me and it's carried over although lately it's become "Mia, Mia".
Donna calls me "Mia Woods" and if I hear "Miss Mia" I know Didi is beckoning me.
When Nancy found out that my parents call me Marykins, it stuck. Except (and I forget why) she drops the "s" and just calls me "Marykin". (Nancy, why did you drop the "s"?) -- I know there's a story buried in that truncation.
Other friends and acquaintances have simply called me "M.E."
My initials are MEW so I have indeed been called "Mew". And my maiden name is Smolnisky resulting in a short "Mes".
Patty calls me Queenie or Mary Queen (that's a story about a conversation she had on a ferry in the Pacific Northwest about 20 years ago.)
An old friend, Barb (who I haven't seen since 1984) called me Mary Pie or simply "Pie."
In the KKC, I'm Mrs. Woods. In fact, it sounds strange when one of the KKC actually uses my first name.
Occasionally Linda calls me "Marilyn" because one time we were somewhere and someone thought that was my name. If you say my name really fast it sounds like Marilyn.
I happily answer to all of these names.
Just don't call me "Mary".
