Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated. They are a reminder, too, that one is not all things to all people.
I love pet names and nicknames. Sometimes in public when I'm calling for one of my best friends I forget how embarassing it can be to be called Dookie in front of other people. It's a nickname that we call each other. We aren't Dookie to other people. It's something we share.
