shanna·ni·gans
/SHa’na’neeɡənz/
noun
- stories pertaining to my life that may or may not include:
i. experience
My name is Shanna, pronounced like Princess Anna of Arendelle but with a “Sh” in the beginning. Shah-nah. Friends and family call me Shanni which is pronounced the same way, but with an “ee” at the end. The accent is on the first syllable. If you place it on the second, it sounds like Shawnee which is a Native American Tribe and lovely ski resort in the Poconos, but not me. If you say the first “a” as a short vowel, it sounds Irish, like Shannon, something else I am not. And if you add a “w” or “u” it sounds like I’m from Louwn Guyland (Long Island), which I am not. I’m a suburban Philly girl, raised on the Mainline, though it hasn’t been my home in almost 20 years
Almost nobody gets it right the first time, my name, and some still mispronounce it after years of friendship or (me marrying into the family). One summer, at sleepover camp, a fellow counselor and dear friend finally asked me which I prefer: Shanna or Shanni. I explained to her that as long as it was pronounced correctly, it didn’t really matter: Shanna, Shanni, Shan, Bob… To this day, there’s a little camp in New Hampshire that knows me as “Bob” thanks to her. Good times.
I’m not sure why, but I loathe correcting people on how to say my name correctly, but equally dislike when it’s mispronounced. I’m telling you this because it’s important to how you pronounce this site…like combining the two possible endings of my name…Shanna-ni…One of my closest friends came up with the title and until I started writing this explanation, I honestly had no idea just how ingeniously complex in its simplicity the title really is.
So without further ado, I give you Shannanigans365…
Shannanigans365 
How do we access your post on February 10, 2022? It is hysterically funny and a great model for teaching kids the facts of life. Love to share it with friends who are not on Facebook.
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Hi! I’ll add it to this site for you. Thank you!
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It’s posted! For reference if needed: Jordyn is 13/8th grade, Max is 12/6th grade, Kennedy is 10/4th grade. There are a slew of other “awkward” conversations I’ve had with them over the years on the blog. Feel free to use any of them.
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