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What to do when you love your grand baby… but not so much their name.
Did you experience a bit of shock when hearing your grandchild’s name for the first time? You are not alone! Many grandparents admit to not liking their grandchild’s name right away. The good news is, there is also research that shows over three-fourths of these grandparents end up changing their mind over time. Here are a few tips on what to do when your overjoyed with the birth of your grandchild, but find yourself thinking, “I don’t like my grandchild’s name!”
There is a lot of talk about names in our family right now, as we are excitedly waiting for the arrival of grandchild number two! Conversations turn easily to ‘Have you decided on a name?’.
Obviously the parents of this about to be born little person don’t need to feel obligated to share the list, but they have chosen to do so and we have fun talking through the options.
My son has appointed himself the gatekeeper of family names, all in good fun, to ‘ensure’ that something odd isn’t chosen.
READ: 6 Superb Ways to Be a First-Time Grandma
But What If You Don’t Like Their Name?
What if your first thought after celebrating baby’s arrival (well, maybe not your first thought, but one that is right up there) is “You named them what”?
There are plenty of articles referencing the unusual names given to babies, such as this article entitled “Outrageous Baby Names Parents Picked in 2017“.
Listed in the article are 10 categories of names considered off the beaten path including the head-scratchers Babyboy (eight boys), BabyGirl (seven girls), and Moo (seven girls, six boys).
There are also the names that just turn out to be unfortunate.
For example, approximately 3,000 Game of Thrones fans named their babies after characters such as Daenerys. Aka the good would-be queen who took a turn for evil. Whoops.
You can read all about it here in “Should Parents of Baby ‘Khaleesi’ of ‘Daenerys’ Feel Any Regret?”
What’s a grandparent to do? It could be easy to have a ‘but what will people think?’ mentality or to consider just having your own name for them.
What Were You Thinking? Literally…
The truth is though, that the vast majority of parents had their reasons for choosing a particular name. So before questioning their sanity, find out what they were thinking (in a nice way)! You could ask questions such as:
- Is there a story behind the name?
- What led you to choosing his/her name?
- Do you have any nicknames in mind or would you prefer if we use his/her full name?
There may be valuable traits or symbolism they envisioned would be part of this child’s life when they chose the name. You may learn something about the name that changes your perspective completely!
Now, this is important. NO MATTER WHAT, embrace that name as if you had picked it yourself. Because that name is powerful in this little person’s life.
Names Are Powerful!
A study entitled “Brain Activation When Hearing One’s Own and Other’s Names” by Dennis Carmody and Michael Lewis support the power of an individual’s name.
This study about brain activation indicates that when young children hear their own name vs the name of someone else, even in the first nine months of life, that there is a unique brain activation related to core identity and personality markers.
Just think how using our grandkid’s names can be used to stimulate their development!
READ: First Time Grandma Checklist – 21 Things Every Grandma Needs
So take some time, and learn the story behind the names of your grandkids, other family members, and maybe even your own.
Grandparents, let’s cheer them on by name!