Sometimes they are downright rude. Especially when it comes to baby names.
I had a friend who did not tell people what she was naming her baby until after her baby was born. Why? Because she new that people were going to go out of their way to make her feel crappy about it. I didn't really understand why she felt the need to keep it to herself. I do now. I got grief when I told people that my daughter's name would be Peyton. Don't even get me started on choosing to name our second baby Loralie. Do rude comments make me like the name I've picked any less? No. They do make me like the rude person less, though.
Right now I want to just take a minute to talk about baby name etiquette. Here are a few rules that shouldn't need to be explained but....
1.) If you ask somebody what they are going to name their baby and they tell you the name they have selected, it is not polite to suggest better baby names or make weird faces or to say rude things*.
2.) Only give name suggestions if you are asked for name suggestions.
3.) After being told the baby's name it is rude to tell the expectant parents that you had a pet with that name.
4.) Rudest comment I have ever heard: "I went to school with a kid named (insert name). They are in jail now. I guess (insert name) was this huge pedophile and got arrested for molesting kids." Yeah. Don't say that.
5.) When somebody tells you that they are naming their baby a name that you hate, appropriate responses are "I love that!" "How original!" Or nothing. That's right. Don't make a comment. BUT this is not permission to silently roll your eyes.
6.) If the expectant parents are set on a name, do not proceed to tell them all of the ways that mean kids will make fun of them for it.
7.) The only person who should complain about a child's name is the child. When they are old enough...after they do an assignment in school and discover their name means "short-nosed man." Thanks, Mom ;)
That is all I can think of. Can you think of anymore?
And to all of my pregnant friends enduring grief over what they are naming their baby, hang in there! For the record, I think it is a great name!
* Rude comments include any variation of "ew " and "well, if you want to ruin your kid's life..."
2 comments:
My favorite was from my mom, "She is going to hate having to spell that out everyday in school, she'll probably start going by her middle name." Thanks mom. ;)
I'll admit I am guilty of WANTING to all of the above... although I can't think of a time where I did... I probably did. Oops. Usually I don't say anything (which is also awkward, because we're just sitting there in silence) or I ask where they came up with it. "Is that a family name?" "How did you guys come to decide to use a silent x?"
But perhaps I'm not sensitive enough about it since pretty much 100% of the people we talked to liked the name Georgia... or maybe they were just being polite haha!
And how on earth could anyone have a problem with the name Peyton or Loralie? Weird.
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