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Getting Creative with Baby Names
Are Some Names Better Than Others?
By Melinda Copp
To avoid subjecting your child to teasing and stigma as he grows up, parents should consider the name decision on several levels:
- What do you think about the name?
- How might your child feel about the name at different stages of life?
- Will the name fit within cultural norms?
- Will your child be raised in a diverse cultural community, such as New York City or San Francisco, or a rural community where unusual names may be less common?
All these factors play a role in how your child will be able to wear his or her name while growing up.
If you do decide to get creative and give your child an unusual name, Gold suggests having a back-up plan. Think about using a nickname while your child is little, or decide how you're going to support your child if he or she is teased about her name in elementary and middle school. And keep in mind that once your child gets older and starts to find his or her identity, having a unique name will be considered cool and your child will likely embrace being different.
Names carry a lot of weight, which is why every parent wants to choose the perfect one. But regardless of what you choose and how you perceive the name you give your child, at some point your child will begin to define the name for himself.
"You have to put your perceptions aside and give the name to your child, and allow them to create their own identity," Gold says. You may make the decision, but your child will be the one wearing the name you choose for the rest of his life, and he will undoubtedly make it all his own.
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