Fatso, Big Head and Other Names My Parents Called Me
It was a miracle I didn’t have body image issues growing up
I’ve called my son “Big Head” twice in public. The first time was at his pediatrician’s office while he was being examined. His pediatrician looked at me horrified. I was outwardly embarrassed, but slightly amused internally. The second time was with a friend and her child, and she had the same reaction as the pediatrician.
Both times I said “Big Head” affectionately. It’s a term of endearment used in my family and, to us, has the same connotation as dear or honey. My parents called my siblings and me, and now, their grandchildren, “Big Head.” I refer to my nieces and nephew as “Big Head.” My family says the name so often and so generically that one day when I asked, “Where’s Big Head?” my sister replied, “Which one?” in reference to her kids.
We both chuckled.
No one has an abnormally large head, nor does anyone remember who crowned the moniker, but it has become generationally accepted. Other names, however, were hurtful.
As a child, I was cherubic. Chunky. Rotund. It didn’t help that my eldest brother and sister were as thin as rails despite eating the same foods– often in larger quantities. At our staunch, predominantly White Catholic school, the…
