Never was that saying more true than in this day and age. In a time when parents are trying to provide their child with a form of 'individuality' and in the process, almost crippling them for life (I mean really, who wants to go through life called 'Apple'?), the newest set of Royals, that would be William and Kate, are facing a huge dilema when it comes to what to name their child.
The poor kid isn't even the size of a lemon yet, and already a nation (and a good portion of the world) are asking the question 'what will they call their child'? Aside from the fact that I think a) we have much bigger concerns in the world (famine, plague, the impending end of the world if you follow the whole Mayan calendar theory) and b) it's their child.
I get that they can't go nuts about it (praise the gods) but still, the amount of attention this has been getting is just shy of mass hysteria. If you take a look at this, about what William & Kate have to keep in mind when choosing a name for the munchkin, and not only does a good portion of it makes sense, it's kind of scary. At the end of the day, you know that even though they might want to call the kid 'Royal' they have to stay the course and stick with decidely British names. Something that rolls of that royal tongue easily, and maybe pays tribute to William's mother Diana. It's the fact that the Brits actually have bets going on this that is kind of, well, very British.
My gut feel is that while they will indeed remain very traditional with the name, whether it be a boy or girl, you just know they will come up with something fun and a little 'out there' as a nickname. Heck, with Harry as an uncle the kid is kind of destined to have something of a wild streak in them somewhere.
So, I wish William and Kate, all the very best in the long, and often very drawn out process of picking a name for their little bundle of joy. Personally, I hope they keep everyone guessing till the munchkin actually joins the world. I know it's a long shot, but hey, one never does know.
Till next time, get ready for the next generation of Harry's, William's, Kate's, Pippa's and more, because the royals, and the world's fascination with them, ain't going away any time soon.
K
(and here's day 5 of '25 Days of Jimi')
You killed my father. Prepare to die.
It's an awesome (and often quoted) line from the Princess Bride. And it makes me think of a story I heard last week from a friend of mine.
She has a little boy, all of three years old, called Matthew. Matthew has recently learnt how to spell his name. 'M-A-T-T-H-E-W - that spells Matthew. That's me.' He's quite proud of himself (and rightly so). In fact, he will tell anyone who listens what his name is and how to spell it. But don't try to tell him he's 'cute'. Or 'handsome. Or a 'little boy'. He will quite emphatically argue this with you. 'I'm not cute. I'm Matthew.' 'But you are your Mommy's little boy.' 'No! I'm Matthew!'
No matter what his mother does, he will not accept the fact that he is indeed Matthew, and also a little boy. As far as he is concerned, you can't be both - you have to be one or other. And she's not alone in going through this phase. A lot of parents have a hard time trying to convince their little ones that yes, they are 'Sophie', but they are also their 'little girl', or 'Grandma's little princess'. For a little one, the concept of self is purely reliant on their idea of who they are.Yes, they may indeed by someone's little one, but as fair as they are concerned, their name is who they are.
Which explains them referring to themselves in the third person a lot. 'It's Jason's turn.' 'Sally wants to go play.' 'That's Toby's toy', and so on. Being able to define themselves by their name helps them to develop who they are among their peers.
But it goes the other way too. You can't be 'Mommy' (or 'Daddy') and be 'Joan' (or 'David'). You are one or the another. I'm not quite sure at what age they understand that a person can be many things to many people - heck, I know some adults who still don't get it - but it's certainly an interesting thing to watch.
So, till next time, just remember, Sybil may have had multiple personalities, but when you are a parent, you have multiple names and jobs (is it any wonder we are tired all the time?).
K
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."
In a way, it's true. Just because you call your child Theodore, doesn't mean he's going to become a serial killer (a la Ted Bundy) anymore than he will become President (although here's hoping). And I know a lot of people give me a funny look when I tell them Little P's name, not that it's weird, just not a common name for a girl. But I have to be honest, with some of the names that are coming out these days, especially from celebrities, it kind of makes you wonder what it was these parents were thinking when they decided to call their child 'Book' (I know, extreme example, but you get the picture).
Don't get me wrong. I think being original with your child's name is awesome, I really do. And there's nothing wrong with the classics either (John, James, Olivia, Sarah/Sara....), but I do wonder if the parents who get more creative actually think about what other kids are going to call their child. Because, as we all know, kids can be pretty darn inventive when it comes to destroying someone's name.
And I know a lot of it has to do with the current culture. Back in the 60's and 70's there were a lot of kids being called 'Rain', or 'River' or 'Moonbeam'. But you wouldn't expect to see that happen much these days. Now, it's more about characters from popular movies or books, like 'Bella' (short for Isabelle or Isabella), or Jacob, or Edward (Twilight fans anyone?).
Look, I'm all for making your child stand out. I really am. Heck, I have nieces and nephews with names that standout, and a lot of my friends have kids with names that are different, but I can guarantee you that they didn't just pick a bunch of random letters and put them together or look at a piece of furniture and go 'Mmmm, 'Ottoman' would be a cool name. But do you really think you are helping little 'Apple' make friends by naming her after a) a piece of fruit and b) the piece of fruit that essentially sent Adam and Eve out of Eden (and you just know that kid is going to want to change her name the minute she gets to high school).
Today at the park I personally heard the following names called: Gideon (biblical reference or fan of 'Criminal Minds'?), Buddy (I honestly didn't know people still called their kids this) and Jaylee (and I'm totally guessing on the spelling here. For all I know it could be Jaelae).
Aside from the fact that these kids won't ever be able to find their names on stationary or little tourist knick knacks, there is a good likelihood that little 'Jaylee' is going to have to spell her name out for people for the rest of her life.
By all means, get creative with your kids name, just take a little time to think what their future friends might do with it.
Till next time, stay cool all you Zayden's, Luxx's and Draven's. After all, what's in a name?
K
(When looking into kids names, I came across a post from one of my favorite Mommy Bloggers, 'Momma Dearest', and she had this article on one of her posts - it's AWESOME
American Baby Names)
