Naming your children

Who would have thought that naming your child would have been such a tedious and demanding process? A friend of mine is going to be a grandmother 3 times over within a 3 week period late summer. But like most people, the expectant parents are trying to find the appropriate moniker. The key is to find a name that is easy to pronounce but is unique to your child. You also have to think about how the name grows with your child. For example, Blueberry Muffin Crumbcake may sound cute as a toddler, but would you take that person seriously as a grown up? What if Blueberry becomes a doctor? Does Dr. Crumbcake sound like a respected physician or does that sound like the latest concoction from Starbucks? What if Blueberry marries someone with the last name Fields or Kupps? Seriously, everyone says you must consider these things.

When I was pregnant with my oldest , we liked the name Olive for a girl. "That is a terrible name," said one acquaintance.  "Didn't she star in that reindeer movie with Rudolf?' was another comment. Perhaps my Olive would have cinematic aspirations? Could I retire early?Would my Olive be a breakout star on Nickelodeon and escape the childhood star curse? Perhaps Olive would be a prodigy and attend law school at age 9. Apparently the name Olive  has become somewhat hip because Sasha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher now have an Olive in their lives.

We discovered that baby would be a boy. The boy name we selected was Nile, which sounded cool, simple, yet hip. Then well meaning friends starting adding an 's" on the end. Maybe it's a southern thing...like when "window" becomes "winders".  Then they started referencing a Kelsey Grammer show and  I realized it was back to the drawing board. Lennox? No, the last name was Wilkes so what if he had a lisp. Neville? What if other kids called him "Neville the Devil?" No, I couldn't have any name that made me think about the movie the Omen.  So we decided on Nigel which seemed different but easy to pronounce. Apparently, it is also one of the characters on the Rugrats. Really? You just can't win.

So my advice is to name your child whatever you want. Everyone will find fault with it and have suggestions of why or why you shouldn't name your kid Four Wheel Drive. It's good to be different. Do what makes you happy and remember that a name is just that...a name.