Will someone please explain to me...
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Will someone please explain to me...
| Wed, 05-18-2005 - 4:51pm |
why everyone suggests nicknames here?
| Wed, 05-18-2005 - 4:51pm |
why everyone suggests nicknames here?
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Thanks for all the insight!
The fact that people wind up being called by a nn later in life is one thing but I think the original poster was questioning why so many parents start out before their child is even born trying to find a nn - sometimes figuring out a nn before they choose the whole name.
Original poster ... is that what you were talking about??
LOL!
LOL!!
If someone called my children Benjamin and William when I put Ben and Will on their birth certificates....I think I'd have a little talk with that someone, LOL
~ Liz ~
I did answer the OP's question and then expanded on it. She asked, "If you want your daughter to go by Livi or your son to be a Nate then just name them that!!"
I gave the example of my niece. My sister and BIL had always inteneded on calling her Katie, but named her the more formal Katherine. I gave the example of why they did that - to give her more flexibility (i.e. she's now Kate and one day plans on being Katherine). My answer was a direct response to the OP's question. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
Edited to add: I just reread and realized that rather than answering the OP's question I was really responding to one of her comments. Once again sorry for confusion.
Edited 5/19/2005 3:38 pm ET ET by msfz
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I personally think that a baby's name is much more than what you "call" them. When I consider my children's names, I think about family heritage, the actual history of the name, and how my child will be able to live with and in that name. I personally can't stand seeing birth announcements with names like "Chrissi" or "Kenzie" being the "full" name. It just seems to have so little substance to it, and it's hard for me to imagine someone as a company's CFO, for example, who's name is just "Joe." Another example of my reasoning is to consider that in many families, such as ours, relatives are often honored through the naming of children. My son is the fifth generation William. It MATTERS that the name is William in terms of honoring and passing down tradition, but the original William was called Will, then a Bill, then a two who go by middle names, and another Will. They can't all be called the same thing, but the actual name matters. That's why there are so many nicknames for names like Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, Robert, John, William, etc. They are used to differentiate people who hold the same name. I personally could never name a child JUST "Ben," "Mike," or "Katie" because to me those names on their own simply have no substance. But Benjamin, Michael, and Katherine are classic names with history, substance, and often familial legacy.
The reason it seems so commonplace on this board is because many people who post here have more than a passing interest in names. People who post here often care a great deal about the meaning, style, and image of the name they are discussing. Maybe I am particularly defensive about the interest in naming because I have a feeling that my post about how to announce the arrival of a baby named Margaret who will be called Molly is what sparked your initial post. To me, Molly IS a nickname. It is a cute, adorable name that we like a great deal, but I feel like there has to, for ME, be a name behind it that carries more history and weight. People on this board often rail against "made up" or "creative" names because of the same sentiment that I've previously mentioned -- the feeling among many in the community here that names are more than what a kid writes on his paper in school. Those reasons, I think, are why we discuss not only names but also nicknames here.
My oldest son is named after his father Thomas William, but until he was 6 we called him T.J. for Thomas Jr. Then he started Kindergarten and the teachers insisted the students be called by their full first names and he chose for us to do the same.
Also, even if you pick a short name thinking it can't possibly have a nickname, think again. If all else fails, other people will lengthen it! For example, my middle son is named Chase and his grandparents (and now other members of the family) call him Chaser and Logan is called Logey (which I hate, but like they say, you can't control what other people call your child).
So, no matter what name you pick and no matter what your intentions are, they are sure to be called something else, so just pick what you like and what sounds good!
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