Sweet nicknames help to form a positive identity while negative names harm, so let’s choose well.

Little did I know when I started calling my husband, “Honey,” in our early years of marriage that the nickname would stick.  Honey is literally sweet.  Sweet names can minimize the bitter and enhance the bland in life.  Marriage needs sweetness.

My first baby became “Sweetheart” early, and Sweetheart she remains. My second baby became “Babe,” giving our family a glimpse into his future Ruth-like passion for baseball. My third baby became “Spunky,” then morphed into “Little Man.”  He’s taller than me now.  We called our youngest “Chunky Monkey” and “Hunk a Chunk of Burnin’ Love” then “Lovey Dovey.”  When littles ones get into mischief, face illness, or suffer in other ways, sweet names remind us to be tender.

My babies aren’t babies anymore.  My daughter has her own husband and baby, who I call Baby Cakes. My oldest son is “Big Mac” or “A Mac” and my second son is “Little Mac” or “I Mac” which sounds like “IMAX” – bigger than life.  These names are confidence builders you’ll hear shouted from dugouts during their baseball games.  My littlest guy is JP, short for John Paul.  I still call him John Paul and “Sweet Baby” when no one else is listening.  My children may not be babies, but they’ll always be my sweet babies.

Grown women don’t tend to give each other nicknames.  I have noticed, though, that my closest friends and I call each other “sister.”  Or “sista” when we’re rockin’ the cool talk. Makes us laugh, especially when times are tough.

My personal favorite sweet name was given to me by my husband.  He calls me “Beautiful.”  I’m convinced that by calling me this sweet name for so long, he has actually made me so.  Who knew that one word could make such an impact on this woman’s happiness?

Sweet names are mysteriously powerful.  They show we are special, build relationships between loved ones, and help us to form our identity in a positive way.   The opposite is true.  So let’s be careful about what names we give each other.  Give, and accept, only sweet names.

Do you have a sweet name?  Have you given a loved one a sweet name?

Sweetly ~~~~~~~~ Angie Mc

43 thoughts on “Sweet nicknames help to form a positive identity while negative names harm, so let’s choose well.”

  4. “Hey Beautiful” for my wife. “Honey bunny” for my daughter. “Hey buddy” for my son. “You little Shit” for my dog…well, cause it literally will shit in the house right after being taken out. 😉

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  5. I often call my kids ‘sweet cheeks,’ and sometimes even ‘baby boy’ even though as teenagers they’re far from baby boys! My husband has a special name for me, but it’s too personal to share online. But like your husband does for you, my hubby’s name for me makes me feel more special than I probably am. But that’s why he’s a keeper. 🙂

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  9. love this! Yes, names are powerful. I LOVE that your husband calls you beautiful. What a perfect nickname. I call my husband honey, too 🙂 It’s funny when you get so in the habit of saying it that you call someone else “honey” on accident…awkwaarrd. I’ve done it many times 🙂

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  12. OH yes, all the kids have nicknames, I use 4 of them on my blog in lieu of their actual names. Little Man is very big now, so we call him Bubba again. He’s also The Boy or The Boy One, which we maybe can get away with until he’s got kids of his own…
    Sissy is also Muffin and Cupcake and Sunshine and DollFace…
    Sassy is also Button and Sweet Cheeks…
    Moo is also any version of Moo, with Moomalade, Moomy, Moomers, and sometimes, Punkin…
    When we are cross with them they know who they are, because they’re Lazy, Weepy, Demanding and Monkey 😛 LOL

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    • WOW Joey! Awesome, awesome, awesome. All the takes on Moo is fabulously creative…endless really 😀 Lazy, Weepy, Demanding and Monkey…hey, I know them! Are you talking about my kids?! 😉

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  13. I’ve answered to many nicknames over the years, except for the old “ball and chain”. I, too, call my husband “honey”, but I always introduce him as my roommate. He calls me “cutie”, but refers to me as the “first wife.” I call my daughter “sweetie”; my son is “Dude”, with a capital D. This was a fun post, Angie ☺

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    • Thanks, Van! Too funny about the “ball and chain” and too sweet about “first wife” ❤ I tell people, especially teens, that they can call me what they like as long as it is polite 😀

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  14. My family calls me Kitayel it means little one. I was only 5 pounds 3 ounces at birth. They call me Kita for short.

    I call my wife Wahca which means flower. She is so resilent and strong but tender and delicate…and she smells good. 🙂 I’ve also and sometimes still call her tehila (lover), temni (sweet), or uzizitka (my wild rose)

    She calls me Kita, and thumper (after bambi thumper) because I generally try to say something nice to or about people or I just avoid the conversation politely.

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    • Kita! How adorable is that sweet name?! I absolutely love all the names you mentioned, so pretty in and of themselves as well as lovely meanings. Thumper is adorable, too, and makes me appreciate the candor on you blog that much more.

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  15. I’ve got a nickname for everyone…good & well maybe not so great, but if you’ve got it rest assured you’ve earned it! I recently started calling everyone “babes”….yea I don’t know either. Great post!

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  16. Hey Angie MC…loved your post..In Bengalee tradition while naming a child, the meaning of name is considered to be the major in the priority list..I do agree names have their own impacts..I call my hubby ‘shona’ means gold.. One of the most precious jewels and am called by him ‘Mishti’means sweet….Hope to cross each other many more times

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