Naming Your Baby
Choosing the name your child will live with for the rest of his or her life is very important and can be tricky. However, if you trust your instincts you probably won’t go wrong.
How important is your child’s name? Very, according to Dr. John Chan, author of “Baby Names Can Be So Important You Can Never Imagine”:
Choosing a baby name for your child is just like choosing his life destiny. Have you ever heard about the association of a person's name with his personality? That's how our names really work—oftentimes you can . . . tell a lot about a person by the name. A name shapes a person's identity and personality like a cookie-cutter.
Whether you choose a name based on its meaning or on family or cultural traditions, naming your son or daughter should be a pleasant experience—so make sure you enjoy the process!
Don’t be afraid to give your baby a common name if it suits your child or fits family tradition. While some parents strive to choose unique names, their children may get stuck with silly or embarrassing names that can make them a target for teasing or bullying and can result in years of misery. Here are just a few of the silliest names, to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:
v Heaven Rain
v Princess
v
v Story
v Fanny Large
v Superman
v Tiny Hooker
v Monday/Wednesday
v Pomegranate
When considering names, think also of the nicknames that can be derived from them, as well as what they rhyme with. Take into consideration the fact that your child will be the one who has to live with the name. Be logical instead of trying to be trendy and you’ll make the right decision.
Choosing a Middle Name
If you decide to give your child a middle name, look for one that complements the first and last names. One popular baby name website (www.how-to-choose-baby-names.com) says that
[a] middle name should form the backing music . . . not always noticeable but nonetheless contributing to the rhythm and sound of the whole name. It adds atmosphere, an extra talking point maybe, and . . . an extra initial.
Do think carefully about your baby's middle name; all too often a “nice” name is chosen that neither fits with the names it joins, nor has any real meaning to the parents or, ultimately, the grown-up baby.
Pay particular attention to initials. You don’t want to come up with a combination that spells something like “B.U.M.,” “B.M.W.,” or “S.A.D.”
One last piece of advice: Giving your child a middle name is your personal choose. Don’t feel like you must do it. If the first and last names sound great together, you may choose to leave the name as it is.
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