Okay, so I talked with one of my very close friends Shelly that I have known for years now. We are similar in very many ways (scary for her!) and yet we are unique in some of the opinions of things that makes our friendship all the more wonderful and enjoyable. I have long had a serious beef with people naming their kids outlandish or shall we say "out there" names. Let's just say that there is TOTALLY no shortage of strange or even ridiculous names here in good old Utah. People naming their kids names they have made up for themselves (probably seems like a cool idea at the time) or names from the scriptures not seen in mainstream society. You might call me old fashioned in this respect, but I believe in good and honest names that children who will someday be adults will even be proud of, and won't have to explain themselves when people ask "Where in the H&%$ did your parents get that?" or "What were your parents smoking when they named you?" Or even "Were your parents hippies or what??"
I know that people are often well intentioned when they name their kids. Often the excuse or intention for such names is that they are family names, or names for people that had a lot of character and made an impact on history. One result of this is people using last names as first names seeking to be "original" or "creative". I myself do NOT agree with this. I can tell you right now, there are some interesting names in my family's past, but I am not willing to put my children through a life of torture and scrutiny for an ancestor's namesake. I REFUSE to do it.
Maybe readers of this will find me close-minded, or stubborn.. if that is the case, that is fine with me. I am not going to give any examples of names for people because I don't want to step on any toes or hurt people's feelings. This is just something that I have a very strong opinion about.
I talked with Shelly for a while about this, with us trying to dream up or come up with names we have heard that were crazy. We had some serious laughs over this topic, as well as it coming down to her telling me the names I liked were dull and boring, but hey at least my kids won't ever be the butt of people's jokes (unless I name my kid Jack, but we won't go there) because of their names. I want to give my kids names that will make them proud, not make them embarrassed or ashamed.
I will get off my soap box now, but I just beg those of my many friends that are pregnant to please be kind and courteous to your children! Names are something they will carry with them for always. Okay, I am really done now! Good night!
4 comments:
I agree with most everything you said...although I like the idea of using family names if it's someone you admire or would like your child to be like. However my grandmas names are Virginia & Gertrude. I would never ever put my daughter through the humiliation. People need to use some common sense.
I personally think your kids should be Jack, Rip, Buck, and Flip. Just my two cents, which we all know isn't worth that!
you forgot carrie
umm, since we last spoke I tried to come up with more names, but I couldn't make up anything that I thought you'd believe.
Oh, you could do what George Foreman did - name all his kids George Foreman. You could just name all girls Lisa and all boys brandon.
I completely agree with you 100%! Even living in Texas, we get a lot of move-ins in our ward...and once we hear the names, my husband and I both look at each other in silent agreement, "Utah Mormons!" I've had my name mispronounced and mispelled my entire life, so this is a soft spot for me. Family names are best left to MIDDLE names...not anything before that. We try to name our children strong names that aren't uncommon, but are not the common name that everyone is calling their kid at the time. Our last one, we decided on Zack, which is a pretty big stetch for me...I think we were desperate. (:
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