Respect my child's name

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I saw this article on CNN. Has such a thing ever happened to any of you? Has anyone, especially a relative, ever refused to call your child by its given name?

Or has anyone not 'respected' YOUR name? For example, in grade school there was a girl who constantly insisted on calling me Al. My name is Alison, and nobody else ever called me Al. I hated it and thought it made me sound like a trucker, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her to stop. Alternately, there was a guy in high school who decided it would be hilarious to start calling me Ali, in order to annoy me. The thing was, my nickname WAS Ali. Most people at high school didn't call me that, but my childhood friends and family all did. I thought when he realized that I was responding to the nickname and not getting annoyed in the least, he would catch on... but he never did.

Comments

[morphinae.livejournal.com]

I told my mom early on I liked the name Rowan for a boy, she had no qualms about telling me in a disgusted tone that it was a stupid name. I didn't talk to her about it or any other name for 6 months, until he was born and I announced his name (it was a secret until then). She turned to my Grandmother and told her that was the name she had picked out, all excited like.

Grandparents are fucking crazy with names.

[danne-gerous.livejournal.com]

With a name like Malory, I've had dozens of nicknames growing up: Malley, Mal, Mal-Mal, MarshMallow, Malentine, Maloricious, etc, etc. But the one I hated was Mo. Some kid started calling me that when I was a senior (I'd been at this school for 5 years) and suddenly everybody jumped on it. After knowing me for years, they all just decided to call me something else. So I stopped answering until everyone got the picture. If anyone called me Mo, I ignored them until they called me by my actual name. And then, I got called a bitch. High school.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

My mom told me my third child would hate her name. We ended up changing it on our own before she was born. She still doesn't like it. She still insists that she will hate me when she's older because of her name. Esme Genevieve Colette is not a hate worthy name! I seriously don't get her problem.

[danne-gerous.livejournal.com]

Also, I know a girl named Alison and to be silly, I pronounced it like I'd heard on a Strongbad e-mail ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnPm3h6sl84 ). It never occurred to me that it might annoy her until someone told me she hated it. I never called her that again.

Cool story, bro.

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

People thought it was fun to call me Savanah Banana despite how much I absolutely HATED it. I only ever let one person call me that. To this day I can't stand it, but thankfully every has grown up mentally and stopped the stupid nickname.

I had a boyfriend named James and everyone under the sun called him Jimmy, so when I met him, I did too. But when we started dating he told me how much he hated it, but no one would ever call him James. I always try to ask the person what they want to be called, especially when nicknames are common with their name.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's a beautiful name!

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Not exactly, but your personal example reminded me of something that's happened to me numerous times over the past decade or so. My name is Stephanie, but I've had many people mishear it as Bethany. It doesn't matter if I'm introducing myself or if someone else is introducing me, so I don't think the problem is that I pronounce my name confusingly. But what really kills me is that after being told my name is "Bethany," they almost always proceed to call me that once, and then begin addressing me as Beth. Now, I guess it's not really relevant WHICH wrong name they call me, but I've always thought if my name actually were Bethany, I'd be annoyed that total strangers took it upon themselves to call me by a nickname, like we're suddenly pals. MY NAME'S BETHANY, DAMMIT. I MEAN, STEPHANIE, DAMMIT.

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

when my mom named me chastity, my dad refused to call me that and called me danielle instead, which is my middle name. he actually wouldn't let her move in unless she agreed to let me go by my middle name. and now my mom's side of the family will only call me chas or chassy. it's unbelievably annoying.

my daughter's dad generally only calls her "boo" which is reason #325 why I hate him.

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

oh and my mom "won't let me" name my kid oliver if it's a boy. because he'll get beat up.

[beekeeperswife.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm horrible, but I REFUSE to call my nephew his real name. Not only do I think it's a horrible name to name a child, JoshuaPaul, NO SPACE, ONE WORD/NAME. He's named after the sperm donor that got my sister pregnant, which is nothing but a lazy, drug addict & alcoholic. If it would have just been Joshua Paul I don't think I'd have such an issue with it, but I hate it & I will not call him that. He's either called Noodle or J.P. (which, she spells JayPee, fml.)

[danne-gerous.livejournal.com]

I have a friend named Amanda that I met in college. She said everyone in high school called her Banana and she hated it.

[quitmyscene.livejournal.com]

I was Jessica until middle school. Then, I got stuck in a class not knowing a single person and the first girl I befriended decided that she would call me Jess. I told her I'm Jessica, not Jess, but she said she likes Jess and that's what she's going to call me.

Ironically, I feel odd when people do call me Jessica now because I am strictly Jess. There are a few people at work/school who call me Jessica and it always takes me a minute to realize that they're talking to me. However, anyone who's close with me knows I'm Jess.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

Well... I'm kind of guilty of this, but it's a DOG.

My future mother-in-law got a puppy about a year ago and I get they wanted her to be a "princess" and have a girly name, but they freakin' named her Cocoa Chanel. I don't even think she knows who Coco Chanel is! I know her daughter that lives at home doesn't because I asked her. I'm sure they know the brand Chanel, but whatever. I think it's a stupid name for a dog and it's so typical of "designer" dogs. It would be like me naming my dog after something I know very little about.

So, I call her Cocoa. They all call her Chanel but yeah.

I've never had an issue with any nicknames I've had. I'm Jennifer and I grew up being called Jenny. After HS I decided that Jenny sounded too young and I now refer to myself as Jenn. I never really get anything other than Jenn, Jenny, or Jennifer.

[frost.livejournal.com]

I won't call my baby half-brother by his full name for the same reason; he's named after the sperm donor, whom is a complete d*ck. >:(

"(which she spells JayPee, fml.)"
Lol irl.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

That's ridiculous. I can tell you that I HATED being one of seven Jennifer's in my class. There's nothing wrong with picking a name that isn't trendy. Although, Esme is rising in popularity so that's even more of a reason to not hate it.

[thellamaqueen.livejournal.com]

aww. i went to high school with an Oliver and he was arguably one of the most well-liked people in the whole school.

[beekeeperswife.livejournal.com]

lolol the first time I read JayPee on facebook, I was like "REALLY? No, REALLLLLLY?!" the child hasn't been given a bad enough first name, but you have to spell out his nickname like a synonym for urine?! D:

Thankfully, since he's been born, she's not flipped out about me calling him Noodle, before he was born she was like "HIS NAME IS JOSHUAPAUL RAAAAWRRR!" but I didn't back down. Eventually she started "signing" things to me "From Noodle".

[wolf-shadow.livejournal.com]

I'm Melanie, or Emy. I HATE being called Mel but I wasn't confident enough to say anything until I went to Uni :S At Middle School I got loads of nicknames, but the most hated was Smell I think, obviously! :P

[theljfromheck.livejournal.com]

My ex's mom refused to call my son by his name(Harvey) and would call him Mikey(his middle name is Michael). That was pretty much before he was born so it doesn't matter since she's not in the picture, but if she was, it would irritate me.

I really don't like people calling me my given name. I'm okay when my family does because that's all they know me as, but friends and my s/o will call me Mariah even though they know it really bothers me.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

Well, I can see her point since a Jonah is someone who causes bad luck, but on the other hand *thinking* that and *saying* it are miles apart and saying it just so damn rude. So let's hope Jonah learns his manners from someone other than grandma...

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

Oliver's a lovely name.

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

well, my mom thought "chastity" was a lovely name. if that tells you anything about my mom's taste.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

I was being good and very carefully not mentioning my opinion of Chastity as a name ... :D

[harinakshi.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Chastity was a pretty name...in the 1500's...

I like Oliver, too, btw:) It seems like it would be sweet and charming on a little boy, but is also something you could seen on a grown adult.

[babyjess8.livejournal.com]

I was Jessica all the way up to the end of high school. I almost re-invented myself at university where I became known as "Jess". Now I feel odd when people call me by my full name. Even my Grandmother calls me Jess now (big win!)

The one nn I have always hated is Jessie. I liken it to a dog's name.