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A Kid By Any Other Name

By Marilyn Mackenzie

 
 
Naming a child is an important matter, but it is one that many parents don’t take seriously enough. For some, naming a child is much like drawing a name from a hat. Some parents think long and hard about names. They read books and consult other family members. Often times, their own thoughts and feelings come into play, but their future child’s feelings are never considered.

Some parents choose a common enough name, but an uncommon spelling. Naming a child Serra – instead of Sarah or Sara may seem like a good idea, but could cause the child problems when she is learning to spell her name. Or the name Twilla, spelled that way because it is a tradition in the family might seem like a great idea. But because it looks as if the name should have a short “i” sound because of its spelling, the child may be forced to correct teachers and other authority figures throughout her lifetime.

Parents of boys often just figure they will name their son after the father. They don’t consider whether that child will be known as Junior for the rest of his life, or as Little Jim, even after he has long outgrown the idea of being little.

Often times, parents name their child an ordinary enough name, but when combined with the middle name or the middle and last names, problems can arise. The initials D.A. may make the parents think of a District Attorney, but to other children those initials might make them think of “dumb ass.”

Another family named their child so that his initials were J.I.G. His father thought it was cute to call the new bundle of joy “Jigsey.” And it was. But once Jigsey became a teen, that cutsey nickname just didn’t fit.

Naming a child after a famous actor or singer might seem like the thing to do. Then when it comes time for the child to attend preschool or kindergarten, it is discovered that many other parents had the same idea. The same thing happens with the names that are just trendy for the time. Does a kid really want to be one of six Courtneys in her classroom?

Being the only person anyone ever knows with a name can also be hard for a child. Does a child really want to be the only “Aries” ever known to her peers? Or the only “Hero”?

Parents really owe it to their children to think long and hard about names they choose. They need to think about how hard it might be to pronounce the name or if spelling might be an issue. They need to consider if the initials spell anything, and what nicknames might be derived from the name or initials.

What’s really in a name? Everything – if you are a child in school.

Marilyn Mackenzie has been writing about home, family, faith and nature for over 40 years. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.babynamevote.com/ which is a site for Baby Names.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Mackenzie

 

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