Calling child by middle name

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

This is kind of related to the post about grandparents and other people insisting on calling kids something else than what their parents have decided their name is.

I was wondering, is it considered offensive or annoying to call a child by their middle name even though their parents call the child by their first name?

Edited to add:

What if the situation was reversed, as in parents calling their children by their middle names but other people call them by their first? I know a whole family with 4 children where all of them including the parents go by their middle names and not their first.

Is calling someone by their first name when they go by middle less offensive than calling someone by middle rather than first?

Comments

[lissalynn.livejournal.com]

We go through this all the time at the Pediatric office I work at, and I will say this:

I think it is absolutely obnoxious that parents would get OFFENDED when we call the child in by their LEGAL, GIVEN name which is ON THE INSURANCE and therefore the name that we have.

I absolutely understand having a preference and you can call the child whatever you want at home, or you can tell us (NICELY) while we're getting the history "he likes to be called Nicky" (or whatever), but if you DESPISE the first name enough that you would get mad at someone for using it, then DON'T USE IT.

/endrant. Seriously, I have seen young mothers YELL at much older nurses for calling "Benjamin" into the waiting room when "IT'S BEN!!!" (or vice versa) or "IT'S CORNELIUS, DUH, WHY DON'T YOU KNOW THAT!".

[mirhanda.livejournal.com]

Can't you put it on the chart though? Benjamin "Ben" William Smith. It sure seems awfully ridiculous if you can't, it's just a couple of quote marks and whatever the name is.

[lissalynn.livejournal.com]

You actually can't on the EClinical medical records. It screws up billing and coding etc. It has to just be their legal name that is on the insurance.

Once we open up the computer chart (after we get in the room and start the history) there is a "yellow sticky" thing we can put their nickname on, and so if there is one, after that we'll use it.

But I think it is absolutely ridiculous to YELL at grown professionals helping to take care of your child for calling the child by their legal name. I think they should be embarrassed of themselves, to be honest.

[mirhanda.livejournal.com]

Absolutely agreed, they shouldn't yell. That's just rude, they should just say "he goes by Ben." and leave it at that. It just seems like there should be a way to include some sort of note on the chart about the preferred name so that you will know for next time and not keep making the same mistake (which would be grating if you go there for all the pediatric check ups and have it never remembered.)

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

It's ridiculous to expect strangers to know your preferences.I mean I could see being irritated if the nurse or whatever had randomly picked the middle name for no reason, but generally people are called by their first name so it's unreasonable to expect a stranger to know that your child is called something else.

[lissalynn.livejournal.com]

Thank you for understanding, I agree. I mean, we literally have people where we will call in "Jonathan" and they'll be like "IT'S MALIKAI!" (which isn't even the middle name, just a random nickname...). Like, really?

We also will have parents purposely ignore us in the waiting room when we call their child in by their given name, because they are so mad we don't know Jacob goes by Devon.

It's so ridiculous.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

My father was named after his father so his first name is Eric, but he has always been Peter in order to avoid confusion. Naturally all official records use Eric. If someone he's going to be dealing with more than once calls him Eric he politely corrects them, they generally make a note of it, and everything is happy. I can't imagine him getting annoyed over it - people aren't psychic!