Community Chat

[denisemb]

I am 65 and childless by choice, but my golden rule is to never name a child something where they can't find regular personalized trinkets (back in the day).

Not to mention, as a former skip tracer, it was infinitely easier to find someone with an unusual name.

Denise <----- never found a keychain or mug with her name on it.

[manhattan1950]

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@Twins Mom wrote:

The mother has received exactly the response she was bargaining for when she named that child.  And the sad state of affairs is that she is passing down that "attitude" to her child so that she will always display displeasure with others when they mispronounce her name.

As a substitute teacher I am no longer surprised by the complexity of the names listed.  I preface my taking roll with an apology if I mispronounce the names and ask for patience.  Invariably in middle and high schooll, someone reacts with disgust that I have mispronounced their name.  What happened to a smile and a little understanding?  One of the most memorable names:  YOUMAJESTY    Yes, it is a girl's name and she plays the part perfectly.

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I agree with your comments!

I also think that parents give their kids unusual and weird names are doing it to draw attention to THEMSELVES.

[Sooner]

I think the mother should be called out for naming the poor child that.   What did she think would happen?  Why use your child to make some kind of silly point?  Sort of child abuse isn't it? 

[Citrine1]

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@faeriemoon wrote:

Remember the skiier Picabo Street?  (For those of you who don't, it's pronounced peek-a-boo.)  What is the point of spelling it Picabo if it's pronounced peek-a-boo?  If you see the name for the first time isn't your brain telling you to say Pih-CAH-bow?  How many times a day does she have to correct someone who reads her name for the first time?

I'm sure the parents thought they were very clever with that ridiculous name.  And this was back in the day before ridiculous was the norm.

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I remember when a rumor was going around that a hospital wing (intensive care unit) had been named after her.  It was the Picabo ICU.  Hahaha

And, for what it's worth, I don't think you seemed angry at all @faeriemoon, just curious.  

[EastCoastGal]

Shame on the agent for laughing at this poor sweet little girl because of her name...then the agent takes a picture of the boarding pass and puts it on Facebook?!?! What is wrong with her??? She certainly isn't acting like a professional. She should be punished for doing this! You don't embarrass someone because of their name...especially since it's a 5-year-old sweet little girl !! Oh! This makes me so mad !!

Fifteen years ago I worked in the office in an inner-city school district...middle school and high school. I heard all types of names. I would ask for the spelling from the parent or child, say thank you and take care of them. I would NEVER think of laughing in someone's face over a name! I couldn't believe it when I read this article!! 

Only once was I surprised at a student's name...but I was looking through the directory and the student was not in front of me. I'm not mentioning the name because you just never know if the person reads this forum. I really wish parents would think of their child and how she had to live with this name. I'm sure she was teased about it. I would imagine and hope in the classrooms the teachers would shorten the name to make it sound more normal. (It was 3 names plus a last name.)

I know at a certain age you can change your name...and I would have done that if I were this girl in school unless it didn't bother her.

I know of a guy who changed his first name because he said it sounded like a "rough and tough" kind of person. He was concerned his resume would be looked at and he would be judged even before having the interview!! I remember thinking "Good for him!"

Parents... Come on! Think about how your child's name is going to be received. There are too many kids out there now being bullied for one reason or another. Don't make your child's name be the cause for a bully to tease your child !!  

[maestra]

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@Cumbercookie13 wrote:

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@SahmIam wrote:

As a parent whose children have unique names, I believe you MUST think about how it's going to be for your child growing up with it. There were other names we loved and are common in the UK but in the US, it have been as if we placed a sign on our kids' back saying "Please, beat me up some more".  Just because it's common somewhere else does not mean it's going to great where you live. No, it doesn't.

True story:

When my eldest was born, there were two of us in labor. I had a c-section so I spent the next week in the hospital. Nurses would come and visit, chat, etc. Often I would hear them say "how are you supposed to say this name?" "Oh, that poor child" "What are the parents thinking?! Oh, they're NOT" and other such statements. One day I asked my nurse what this issue was about the names. She told me that THE THING to do (this was 21 years ago) was to take the name you like for the baby and SPELL IT BACKWARDS. That became their legal name as it appeared on their birth certificate.

What?!

Yep. So John became Nhoj. Larisse became Essiral. Chanel became Lenahc. Theodore became Trodoeht and so on.

I just looked at her blinked. She said "EXACTLY!" and then mumbled something about stupid people shouldn't be allowed to breed and so on.

Never forgot that. Wonder how those kids are today and did they change their names.

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@SahmIam I've heard of some kids being named Semaj, James spelled backwards. One mom I remember did that because dad's name was James and she didn't want to make him a junior. And one of the Survivor contestants was named Neleh, Helen spelled backwards. Of course, there's Nevaeh, heaven spelled backwards. That was such a huge trend in the late 90's and early 2000s. I would always joke that's like naming your child hell. I also remember a woman who was considering naming her daughter Legna, angel spelled backwards. She was eventually talked out of it and ended up using Seraphina. 

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@Cumbercookie13 wrote:

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@SahmIam wrote:

As a parent whose children have unique names, I believe you MUST think about how it's going to be for your child growing up with it. There were other names we loved and are common in the UK but in the US, it have been as if we placed a sign on our kids' back saying "Please, beat me up some more".  Just because it's common somewhere else does not mean it's going to great where you live. No, it doesn't.

True story:

When my eldest was born, there were two of us in labor. I had a c-section so I spent the next week in the hospital. Nurses would come and visit, chat, etc. Often I would hear them say "how are you supposed to say this name?" "Oh, that poor child" "What are the parents thinking?! Oh, they're NOT" and other such statements. One day I asked my nurse what this issue was about the names. She told me that THE THING to do (this was 21 years ago) was to take the name you like for the baby and SPELL IT BACKWARDS. That became their legal name as it appeared on their birth certificate.

What?!

Yep. So John became Nhoj. Larisse became Essiral. Chanel became Lenahc. Theodore became Trodoeht and so on.

I just looked at her blinked. She said "EXACTLY!" and then mumbled something about stupid people shouldn't be allowed to breed and so on.

Never forgot that. Wonder how those kids are today and did they change their names.

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@SahmIam I've heard of some kids being named Semaj, James spelled backwards. One mom I remember did that because dad's name was James and she didn't want to make him a junior. And one of the Survivor contestants was named Neleh, Helen spelled backwards. Of course, there's Nevaeh, heaven spelled backwards. That was such a huge trend in the late 90's and early 2000s. I would always joke that's like naming your child hell. I also remember a woman who was considering naming her daughter Legna, angel spelled backwards. She was eventually talked out of it and ended up using Seraphina. 

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we have a neighbood little girl named Legna.  smh

[suzyQ3]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

Wow. I don't give a hoot what the child's name was. I'm amazed at the focus most posters (but thank you, @Marp) have chosen. There is no excuse for an employee to ridicule her.

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I reread my post and thought I should make it clearer that I appreciated @Marp's posts on this subject.

[sunshine45]

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@Ditz II wrote:
I read about this incident on another site.
The name is quite popular in the family’s native country. I believe it is the Phillapines. It is pronounced Ab-ce-de; not Ab City!
The mother did report the worker to the airline. The worker used Facebook to make fun of the little girl’s name; the mother did NOT initiate the social media posting. The worker has been suspended; do not know if they were fired.
Admittedly I did not read all the responses. But I’m amazed & disappointed at the number of posters here, that attacked the parents for the name they chose for their child. This was not the case on the other site. There, posters expressed compassion for the child & her family. Most agreed that parents can name their children as they choose. Many of our name (Joan, Ann, Mary, Pete, John) would seem weird in other countries. Try a little kindness.

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@Ditz II

thank you for further explaining the story.

i also found it ODD that people were blaming the mom. my daughters have unusual names.....ethnic names. i dont choose to question why she chose that name.....she chose it for a reason that was personal to her and the girls father and other family members perhaps.

i was taught not to tease and i didnt. i taught my children not to tease and i am hopeful that they never did.

an adult woman working and representing a major company should have known better.

[sunshine45]

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@denisemb wrote:

I am 65 and childless by choice, but my golden rule is to never name a child something where they can't find regular personalized trinkets (back in the day).

Not to mention, as a former skip tracer, it was infinitely easier to find someone with an unusual name.

Denise <----- never found a keychain or mug with her name on it.

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so glad that MY parents did not follow this "golden rule."

[sunshine45]

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@Venezia wrote:

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@Ditz II wrote:
I read about this incident on another site.
The name is quite popular in the family’s native country. I believe it is the Phillapines. It is pronounced Ab-ce-de; not Ab City!
The mother did report the worker to the airline. The worker used Facebook to make fun of the little girl’s name; the mother did NOT initiate the social media posting. The worker has been suspended; do not know if they were fired.
Admittedly I did not read all the responses. But I’m amazed & disappointed at the number of posters here, that attacked the parents for the name they chose for their child. This was not the case on the other site. There, posters expressed compassion for the child & her family. Most agreed that parents can name their children as they choose. Many of our name (Joan, Ann, Mary, Pete, John) would seem weird in other countries. Try a little kindness.

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Not sure where you got the information about the name (or the family) being from the Philippines.  Care to share the website?

From Wikipedia:

"The phenomenon seems to originate in Hawaii, where the first baby to be named Abcde was born at the Kona Hospital on October 19, 1986. The name became more popular and five more babies born in 1990 were named Abcde. "

So, it seems the first person to make up this name was not Filipino.

And I still say the mother is the one who has blasted this all over the media.  Why would she do that?  Is she planning to sue the airline for (only her side of the story) mocking her child's name?  Makes you wonder.

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 it would be difficult to know just from WHOM or from WHERE the first name came from. actually, if it was  a true hawaiian name, it would not have had the B, C, or D in it.....those letters are not a part of the hawaiian alphabet.