Some of you may not know this but the names we choose for our children and the names that we have are a really big deal. We are judged based on our names. For example, studies have shown that Jennifers tend to be more popular. I can't remember the male counterpart for popularity. When Darrell and I were trying to decide on the name for our son we bought the books, we googled names, we considered many many options. I was amused for certain names reminded us of others in our past that we liked but mostly disliked so those were not an option. We narrowed it down to two names--Tristan and Blake. We considered meaning, how it would sound with Reagan and what would Grandma Geiser think?
Grandma Geiser has an opinion about everything and she is especially opiniated about names. When she meets someone she usually says, "Oh, _______ is a beautiful name do you like it? I don't like my name." Her name is Mildred and it fits her--to me it represents a strong, unique woman and she is that. Grandma Mildred is the matriarch supreme of the Geiser clan. She raised 8 boys and between the grandchildren and great grandchildren--I've lost count. Anyway, when we produced our off spring , she asks the name and unless it's very old fashioned, she usually grimaces and says, "Oh I don't like that." I was sure that she would like Blakes name but when we told her she said, "Oh" and to my husband, "What is your middle name? (It's Eugene.) That's a great name, why didn't you name him that?" I was thinking because we don't want him to be the dork in school. My theory isn't working out as Blake dresses like Scuba Steve, Erkel or my Dad on any given day and as you know--each of those three tend to be dorky.
If it isn't a really simple name Grandma will usually call you the wrong name. My nieces name is Rhiannon and after 10 years, she still calls her Brianna. My husbands name is Darrell, Laurie's is Dave and my cousin's husband is Doug--all D's--she always mixes them up. When I was leaving after a visiting session with Grandma, she said--"Tell Doug Hi." That's Lea's husband but I just said OK.
As a parent, choosing the name is one of the most important things that we do. If you pick a popular name, they could be in school with 5 other Dylans. If you pick a "different" name, people will have trouble spelling and pronouncing it. My sister named her son Rex and my first comment was, "That's a dog's name." Then we adopted a dog and his name is Rex. We should have changed the dog's name because everytime we get together the dog and my nephew are very confused. I have another nephew who has had so many times that I'm not sure what his name is at times. He started out as Elijah, then we were informed that his name is really Dawson and then my brother was trying to talk his mother into changing it to Jaeger. If he has multiple personalities we will know why and why would you want to name your child after a shot that tastes like cough syrup?
We were joking the other day about names that sound ethnic but the person isn't very ethnic. What do you think when you hear the following names: Lamont, Jesus, Tanisha, Maya? If I had a daughter I wanted to name her Lola and others accused me of giving her a stripper name. Lola is a sassy, creative, kick ass name! I'm very annoyed by people that name their children after celebrity's children's names or after celebreties. PUH-LEASE--be more original than that if you want to be original. Here's a news flash for ou, if you name your son Ashton, he's not going to end up like Ashton Kutcher.
We so carefully chose our son's name and he asks me the other day, "Why did you name me Blake? Why didn't you name me Cody?" (Big sigh) In closing, you may like names that are different but your child may not. You may like common names but it's very confusing for the Kindergarten teacher who has 5 others with the same name. Family names are great but you inherit the name and lots of confusion with identites and such. I'm impressed with the guy that changed his name to his jersey number--Ocho Cinco--that's cool! Who knew that I would have so much to say about names?
The whole 'Rex' thing rather confuses me, too! Amusing entry, Annette. Like it.
ReplyDeleteLOL...Wow. Well I have to comment here and I will be completely truthful in every way, as it should be. When I was pregnant with my son, Dawson...Jerry and I were not married and did not agree on having a child together. I honestly didn't feel he had ever done anything for me or for my pregnancy to have a choice in what our sons name was going to be...BUT I loved him, Jerry that is...very much and wanted to make him happy.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning I wanted my son's name to be River Dawson or Dawson River. Jer wanted a name at the time called Jaziah. At the time I did not like Jaziah. So litterally within days of Dawson being born I came up with Elijah as a substitute to try and make Jerry happy. Well he didn't like that name either. The entire time my plan was to call my son DAWSON and everyone was told that from day 1. The birth certificate has said from the beginning "Dawson Elijah"...but on the announcements I was so druged up at the hospital I had it turned around.
This all lead to a lot of Jerry's family trying to say my son's name was Elijah, but it never was and never has been the name he was to be called. Even with it turned around and Jerry trying to tell everyone that his name was Elijah because he didn't like Dawson...I made very clear to EVERYONE that his name was Dawson, and I remember some trying to call him Elijah anyway, hmmm...I don't know why anyone would go against me like that when it was my child & I wasn't even married to his father. Well they did anyway :) Oh well, I'm way past it now.
Shortly after I saw the light & decided they could all kiss my butt and that I would give my son the name he was meant to have. So I applied for a name change and had it leagally changed to Dawson River, like I had always wanted in the first place. Funny how people can make you hate a name! I sure hated Elijah at that point and so did my mom!
Funny thing is I never got the new birth certificate so I still have a Dawson Elijah birth certificate. It all got me so confused I even told my sister n law Laurie to get a plane ticket with the name Elijah Dawson! LMBO...it sure has been confusing!
So no one should worry my son Dawson....has only ever known 1 name...and that name is Dawson River...he has never even heard the word Elijah come out of our mouths & he was to young to remember Jerry's family calling him by that name because I corrected the situation and even Jerry happily calls him Dawson. I'm not one of Jerry's crazy x's just the one that truly loved him so there is no multiple personality complex going on my with child! Not really even funny to joke about...and I know Annette meant no harm. But it WAS a very hurtful sore spot for me for a long time!
Now onto Jager...Jerry wants the JDG initials for Dawson so bad he'd love me to change it yet again. Not after the liquor, but for the meaning "Hunter" in German...which Jerry is a big hunter. thing is...Jerry's real initials aren't really even JDG...being that his real name is Gerald & not Jerry :)
So the story goes...my son is and will always be Dawson River...the only name he knows & a name that he loves! He loves to tell people I'm Dawson River!
I've never had such a stressful confusing name situation in all my life or have I heard of another, except for having cousins and dogs all named Rex in the same family! :)
Annette, that is funny that Blake wants to change his name to Cody because so does Rex. I am always teasing him about letting me change his name to the one I picked(and should have been.... the things I do for my husband LOL)- Raidon. Rexy always says no and that I can only change it to Cody.
ReplyDeleteSumer, to set the record straight, we were TOLD that his name was Elijah so that is why all of us called him that. We were just as confused as everyone else about what the correct name was supposed to be. He IS a Dawson though to a T, just like I couldn't imagine Rexy being anything else....their names suit them. =)