I’ve Got A Name. That’s the title of a Jim Croce song I’m reminded of when I think of my own name. Now, I’m not referring to the name my aunt, Mavis Foster, gave me when I was born. That’s Richard Louis Algood. Where Richard came from, I have no idea. But Louis came from my paternal grandfather. He was named after Louis Winston. The fellow that surveyed the county and town where I was born.

Richard was shortened to Ricky by my parents, and when I graduated from high school Ricky became Rick.

But I’ve gone by a lot of names over the years. Peace Boy in the 60s. The Worm, because I was as skinny as a rail when I was younger. That changed to Slug after I gained a little weight. The latter two were what guys at the mill called me… among other names. Everyone there had a second name. One guy was called the man with two Brains. He was smart. Another was called Flim-Flam because he was forever-and-a-day trying to sell you something you didn’t need. One of my bosses was referred to as Square Head. Another, the Green Hornet. In the mill we all had a name that we didn’t care to be known as outside the gates.

I became Dad when my daughters came along. That was a name and a badge of honor.

But the one name I never expected was given to me by my first grandchild. I would never have chosen it in a million years. It wasn’t Granddaddy. Not Gramps. Nor was it Pops or Pop-Pop. It was a name I had unknowingly asked for. It was Boo Boo. Yep. Boo Boo.

She was born about the time the movie Monsters, Inc. was released. An animated movie in which monsters at a monster factory went through doors that opened into children’s bedrooms. Their goal was to scare the kids and make them scream. Then, the monsters would collect all of the screams from the children and use them to power the city where they lived. Evidently there is a lot of energy in a child’s scream.

My daughter and granddaughter lived with us from the time Zoey was born until she was about three years old. We were blessed to witness yet another child once more grow up in our home. I saw her roll over for the first time. Sit up on her own. Crawl, giggle, and spit-up. Yes. I even changed a few diapers.

Whenever I came home from the mill, I would poke my head around a corner and say, “Boo!” She would giggle and laugh. For me it was a good way to end a long day or night. There’s nothing like the laughter of a small child.

So everyday I would come home and do the same thing. I’d jump around a corner and say, “Boo!” She would giggle, get excited, and make baby squeals and noises.

We were all surprised one day when I came home, did the usual, “Boo!”, and she replied with “Boo.” That was her first word. Boo. It wasn’t Mom, Mommy, or Momma. It was Boo.

Wow.

Boo soon became Boo Boo. Every time I came home, she greeted me with a large smile and say, “Boo Boo.” Her mom thought it was funny. She’d say, “You asked for that one, Dad.”

Well, I thought the name would eventually fade away and I would become Gramps or something more traditional. I was wrong. The gauntlet had been laid down. The next grandchild came along and reinforced the name. I was Boo Boo from then on. We have eight grands now, and I’m am officially known by all as Boo Boo. It too has become a badge of honor.

Whenever we are out somewhere and someone calls, “Gramps or Granddaddy or Pops,” I don’t look around wondering if some child is calling me. Other guys do. But when I hear, “Boo Boo,” I know without a doubt that is my name. I’ve got a name.

I’ve watched that little girl that named me grow up over the last sixteen and a half years. I watched her crawl across my living room floor, and I’ve watched her take her first steps, and today I watched as she marked off another milestone in her life.

Her mom and I watched as she drove away from the courthouse with her driver’s license. There was some pride watching her accomplish that milestone. I had a part in teaching her how to drive. Though there was a bit of pride, there was a lot of fear. Is she really ready to spread her wings and drive away without me?

I have to admit there was a lump in my throat today. Most grandfathers may not get to be there when their grandchildren make a lot of their first. I feel lucky to have been there for a lot of hers. But today was a little scary. Now that she can drive, will I see her as much? Kids with their driver’s license tend to become independent very quickly.

But before she drove away she ran over to me, gave me a big hug, and said, “Bye, Boo Boo. I love you.”

As I turned to leave the courthouse parking lot I thought, Jim Croce was right. I’ve got a name.

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Rick Algood
June 17, 2019