Baby Naming Conflicts
Posted by admin on August 1st, 2009One of the most time consuming activities in the lead up to your baby’s birth is trying to come up with a name. I have no idea how many names are out there but there must be literally tens of thousands!
Perhaps it is a tradition in your family to name children after a grandparent or you simply want to celebrate a favorite relative. Although the intention is good, conflict will certainly arise and feelings will get hurt. As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, right?
So what can you do to avoid the conflict? First, remember that it’s your baby and, thus, your choice. If you and your partner agree, that should be sufficient. However, this hard nosed attitude will do little to repair offended grannies and granddads, uncles and aunts.
A popular method is to make an announcement to your family telling them what name you’ve picked and why. If people hear it straight from you it’s less likely to offend. The family gossip train is notorious for exaggerations. Also, this keeps people from feeling slighted since you took the time to explain things in a non-confrontational way.
Another good course of action is just to keep it secret until the baby is born and people get to see and hold your child. Who will care about family squabbles when the precious child is in their arms. Waiting for this moment will keep the silly name argument from gathering steam and will keep the focus on what matters: your beautiful new child.
Don’t let family conflict keep you from honoring a relative or giving your baby the name you want. Keep the focus on your child and go out of your way to appease needy relatives. In the end, you’ll be glad you maintained your family relationships. Someone has to watch the baby when you’re out, right?