Your Grandchild’s Name

When you find out you are going to have a baby it’s natural to start thinking about what to name them. When you find out you are going to be a grandparent choosing a name is NOT your job.

No matter what your opinion is on the name your child chooses for your grandchild the best advice is “Keep Silent.”  If the parents ask your opinion then it’s okay to offer it, but even then tread lightly. Blurting out, “That’s the ugliest name I’ve ever heard!” is not advisable.

Most of the time whatever they choose will be okay. If it’s something really unusual it may take you a little while to get used to it, but you will. By the time the child starts calling you Nana (or Gigi or whatever) you will be so in love you will wonder why you ever worried about the name.

The Exception to the Rule

Notice I said MOST of the time. There are a few exceptions. Over the years I have met a few people who when I heard their names I silently wondered what their parents were thinking. I mean who marries a man with the last name Ball and then names their son Harry?

I did some research to find out other “Names You Hope They Don’t Give Your Grandchild” and found lots of names that left me scratching my head. If your child chooses any of the following names for your grandchild you have my permission to advise them against it. They may not listen, but you should definitely try. It might save your grandchild a life-time worth of teasing.

Mack Donald – This guy happens to be a friend of my cousin so I know he is a real person. And no, he doesn’t live on a farm.

Another cousin gave me the names of twins- Orangejello and Lemonjello. Pronounced Le’Mon ja lo and Or-ang-ja-lo. But while researching these names I ran across an article that mentioned these famous twins and they referred to their names as an Urban Legend, so maybe there really wasn’t a mother that cruel.

One can only hope.

A Baby Named Messiah

I also read about a court case in Tennessee where the parents had named the baby Messiah. During a custody hearing the judge ordered the child’s name changed because she felt it was in the best interest of the child. The judge received international attention and has now been fired. The baby is now called Messiah again.

Poor baby.

What Were They Thinking

Did you know that if more than 4 people name a baby the same name it’s recorded by the government? Here are some names on that list that I’m so glad my children did not choose for my grandchildren.

Shady- Used as a girls name but I suppose a boy could be a little Shady too.

Vegas- What happens there is supposed to stay there.

Havoc-This seems to just be asking for trouble.

Emperor-No comment.

Handsome  and Beautiful- All boys are handsome and all girls are beautiful, but you don’t name them that! Well, most people don’t.

Rambo-I guess it’s better than Godzilla. Maybe.

And then there’s the couple who named their daughter Mary (you can get much more common than that). The little girl grew up and married a man whose last name is Christmas. And another whose name was Candy who married a man whose last name was Kane.

Life happens.

In closing I would like to assure you that I adore all my grandchildren’s names and if they had been named Shady and Havoc, I would have loved them just the same.

But I’m really glad they aren’t.