What’s in a name? One mom online is wondering if a name is so important that it’s too late to change her four year old’s.
Naming a kid is a tough business. You want them to have a unique enough name that they don’t end up one of eight in their classrooms growing up, but you also don’t want them to have a name that feels ridiculous or on-par with some of the more out-there celebrity baby names . One mom took to Mumsnet to ask at what age is it appropriate to re-draw that line for her daughter.
The mom, going by the username Chesternut, posed the question on the Mumsnet forum.
“My DD [darling daughter] is 4 years old and I gave her a name which, I thought, was very original as I hadn’t heard another girl called it in about 20 years. Only to find when she started nursery another girl called the same but spelt differently,” she began her post .
“DD is due to start full time education in September and there will be 2 other girls with the same name so 3 in the class including DD,” she said.
The mom went on to explain that she felt “Totally hacked off and really upset by this. Maybe an over reaction but in the 1970’s I was one of 5 named the same in my class and vowed never to have my [children] live with the same. Now history is being repeated.”
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The mom then asked if she would be out of line to change her four year old’s name.
“[Am I being unreasonable] to change my daughter’s name before September? I LOVE her name but hate that it’s so common now.”
The other commenters on the forum were not on her side. “I don’t think it’s up to you, surely it’s up to your daughter, it’s her name now, not yours! She might not care that she shares her name in the same way that you did,” wrote one user .
“Are you crazy! She’s 4! You can’t change her name. Your DD won’t mind being one of 3. She is her name now, it belongs to her,” added another.
Many users wondered what her daughter’s name even was, which she provided in another comment.
“Esmée,” the mom revealed, adding, “and I’ve lived through this. I can remember my whole junior/secondary school time being coloured by the fact that so many of us had the same name. I changed it as soon as I could because of that reason. Every time I hear my real name I shudder.”
Still, most commenters felt that four was too old to be changing a name.
“Ridiculous. Don’t give your daughter a complex about this,” one user wrote.
“Don’t be ridiculous you can’t change a four year old’s name! How on earth would you explain that to her? What happens if you change it and then next year there’s a new girl with the same name? Or several girls with the same name in high school?” asked another.
What do you think? Do you agree with the mom or with the commenters? Let us know in the comments!
h/t: Mumsnet
