Having children is a huge responsibility. In addition to the care and feeding of these precious little creatures, we, as parents, are also given the task of giving the child a name that will meet many expectations. How we choose, what we choose, and who we allow to influence us in this decision will vary.
The Traditional Namer
Names in this category tend to be names that you know and hear often, but are not necessarily popular names. Examples would be: Jennifer, Jessica, Michael, Benjamin. These names are usually hard to mispronounce or misspell.
The Trendy Namer
A trendy name might be a popular name or a new variation on an old name. Names that might also fill out this category would be names of current media stars and political personalities. Examples of these names would be: Calista, Jada, Leonardo, Ewan. These unusual names are often harder to pronounce.
The Abdicator Namer
This person will usually abdicate all authority to someone else to name the baby or choose a family name by traditional default. Sometimes this happens after a rough birth when mom or dad is not available to name the baby. You will hear horror stories of other relatives filling out birth certificate forms. Be sure that your preferences for names are known, unless you actually want someone else to name your baby. This can be a family tradition to let the grandmother on either side name the baby, or to name the baby after a particular person in the family.
The Egalitarian Namer
Have an equal share in the naming! It sounds like a really easy thing to do. Some parents say mom will name the girls and dad the boys. Others simply say that the first names will be given by one parent and the middle names given by the other parent. Either way it's divided a bit of sharing must go on to "coordinate" the names chosen.
No matter what or how you name your baby, remember that it is an important choice.
