| One of the most exciting choices for expecting | | | | figures of infamy (Adolph?). |
| parents is selecting their baby's name. It's a choice | | | | 2. Put Yourself in Your Child's Shoes and try on a |
| that, while fun to make, can also cause a lot of | | | | name for size |
| anxiety. Choosing the right name for your child is | | | | Constantly ask yourself the question, will this name |
| probably one of the most important decisions you will | | | | cause me a lot of grief in school? Try avoiding names |
| make for him. Choose the right name and he or she | | | | that are hard to spell and write. That would make it a |
| will go down in posterity with a regal sounding name, | | | | problem in the future with documents and |
| choose the wrong name, and you could find your kid | | | | correspondence that are mislabeled due to confusing |
| blaming you for the rest of his life for being teased | | | | names. For example, if you name your child Mychael |
| day in and day out in school yards. | | | | instead of Michael, people will still think Michael is the |
| If you want to give your child a name you can be | | | | right spelling. While Mychael is quite a unique choice, it |
| proud (and more importantly, HE can be proud of), | | | | could lead to a lot of confusion. |
| you will have to give name-choosing a lot of thought. | | | | Also test if the name you chose will be the source of |
| At least make it a point that when you are asked | | | | teasing and rhyming at school. Find a name that is |
| about how you came up with the name, you won't | | | | less likely to be used in teasing (which is terribly hard |
| say it was a spur of the moment thing. | | | | - you can never underestimate the creativity of |
| Here are a few name-choosing tips to help you find | | | | grade school kids). You will have to think well and |
| the right name for your baby. | | | | hard to avoid names that would create that kind of |
| 1. Put In a Lot of Thought | | | | childhood torture. Consider your family name when |
| A name to be proud of is a name well thought out. | | | | doing so. The way your family name and the name |
| When choosing a name give yourself a lot of time to | | | | you choose go together will determine whether your |
| think of what you would like your child's name to be. | | | | kid arrives home crying every day or not. |
| One pointer would be to find some significance to | | | | As a general rule try avoiding having names where |
| your child's. Avoid choosing a name just because it | | | | vowels and consonants run in to each other. If the |
| sounds right. | | | | name you choose ends with a vowel and your family |
| During older days, parents would choose names that | | | | name starts with a vowel, it could create the illusion |
| would describe their children or the circumstances | | | | that the full name is a single word. For example, Lei |
| regarding their birth - hence names such as Grace | | | | Orr doesn't quite sound right doesn't it? Nathan |
| (believing their child to be given by grace), Hope, | | | | Matterhorn is a little confusing isn't it? |
| Red, and others. Names surrounding circumstances | | | | Also as a general rule try avoiding tongue twisters - |
| are also good starting points. Names such as | | | | that probably removes Peter Piper from your list. |
| Serendipity, however tortuous, still make a unique | | | | 3. Consult But Consider |
| sounding name. You will want to avoid names such as | | | | Consulting a baby name book can yield some pretty |
| Running Dog and Hot Summer, though. | | | | interesting results. The advantage of these books is |
| Some will choose a name based on people they want | | | | that they also give the meaning of the names they |
| their children to be like - John (after St. John), Mary, | | | | list. This makes it easier to find a name that best |
| Peter, Errol (Yes, Errol Flynn), Angel and the | | | | describes what you would want for you baby. |
| ever-popular Junior. You will want to stay clear of | | | | Relatives and friends will want to suggest names, let |
| names that might bring to mind unsavory historical | | | | them do just that - suggest. |