Max being his usually cheerful self
Sabrina, ready to take on the world (and show it who's boss)
There's an interesting blog at the New York Times site today about whether the names you choose for your kids shapes the people they become. It doesn't really answer the question, but it got me thinking about my kids' names, which I adore.
We always knew Max was going to be a Max, he's named after my grandma Minnie. But with Sabrina, there was some debate. I loved Sabrina from the get-go, Dave was more fond of Sophie or Sophia which I thought were getting too popular (BTW, today there are three Sophies in our neighborhood). Now neither of us can picture her as anything but a Sabrina. To me, the name is all about being feisty, spirited, quirky and and maybe a bit of a smart-ass. The name "Max" signifies someone who's cool, friendly, strong. Both kids really are their names.
Do you feel the same about your kids' names?
Yes. I think there is an effect of naming.
ReplyDeleteOur son, referred to as ManChild on my site carries a family name - many generations including my father. Our Younger Teen (blog pseudonym) hates the name we gave - says it is too old fashioned. We are just waiting-out that opinion. chkl. Barbara
I agree that a name shapes a person! When I was growing up, my name was very unique and it was not until just a couple of years ago that I started to meet other Kiera's.
ReplyDeleteI was insistent that I wanted our little dude to have a unique name also that was not too "weird."
My hubby and I always joke around that we would never be friends with a guy with a certain common name because every person we have met with that name turns out to be a jerk! (I am not going to list it here at risk of offending some, but the method has not failed us yet). Coincidence or due to the name???
Hello.
ReplyDeleteFirst to comment on this post- I definitely think that your name has an effect on your personality, maybe not "shaping" it, but adds a little flavor. I have a pretty uncommon name and I think it adds to who I "am". I named my son Noah after the main character in the Notebook..we'll see how that translates into his life =)
Anyhow- I was reading your blog and in your post from Max's birthday you spoke about your husband and how great he was with you and Max after the first really hard weeks after his birth. I was SO struck by your description of your "worst nightmare" coming true, about sobbing in bed, unable to hold your baby. This is EXACTLY how I felt and reacted in the first weeks after Noah was born with some very unexpected complications in his brain. I just felt very at ease that my feelings are "normal" and other's reacted this way. In the past I have felt kind of crazy...anyways, thanks for your honest and "real" description..I can totally relate!
Well, if I'd gotten to look at Charlie, he probably would have had a completely different name. Both are a mix of family names, but the other one probably would have won out. Does a name shape personality? Who knows. . . I think Charlie is a nice guy name and my Charlie is pretty nice, so maybe?
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding my lil mister to your prayer list!!! The more, the better. You kids are adorable.
ReplyDeleteI agree, my kids names fit who they are. I can't imagine them having a different name!
For us, our kids are exactly who we named them. For a little bit, after they were born, I would sometimes wonder if we should have gone with whatever alternative we had for them. In the end...no, they're exactly who they should be.
ReplyDeleteBTW-my husband wanted to name one of our children a name that I said was too popular. We too have 3 on our street. What do men know!! LOL.
I can't picture our kids being any other name than the ones they have. Our Max is Maximus Defender, which we find somewhat ironic since he's the smallest 5 year old in his class! All four kids have meaningful names and we really feel they resemble them, whether we did that or it just came to be is hard to say!
ReplyDeleteI love your daughter's name, because it's MY name too! My dad never admitted how he thought of the name, but he always tells me this great story: I was born premature, & was being rushed to the ambulance to go to another hospital - just as my grandmothers arrived. Dad was walking with them & they remarked about the ambulance. My dad says, "Oh, it's here for Sabrina." He kept on walking, not realizing that my grandmothers had stopped dead in their tracks! They asked him, "Who's Sabrina?" So my dad said, "The baby..." They were surprised that he'd already named me! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI'm 14 weeks pregnant with baby number 1. We decided to bet on it. If I win the bet and get a daughter her name will be Sophia Kay. If hubby wins the bet and gets a boy, he will name him Connor Jack.
ReplyDeleteNatalie