Has anyone gone back to their maiden name after marriage?
I got married a year ago and changed my name. Now, after a year of honest reflection, I can say that I don’t like it. I’m currently putting out feelers on resuming the use of my maiden name and in the process, I am running into tons of negativity. Have any of you out there stayed married but went back to your maiden name? How did you handle any criticism or negative feedback? Did you feel better once it was done?
How do I get my mother-in-law to stop addressing things to my non-existent married name?
My husband and I have been married for six years now and most of the family is fully aware of the fact that I kept my last name — actually, I’m sure my in-laws are well aware of this. But my mother-in-law keeps addressing mail and checks to me as if I had changed my name.
What are your favorite unique baby names?
Is your kid’s name a combination of family names handed down through generations? Something you pulled from your favorite book or movie? A name you totally made up? Or does your kid have one name — but you secretly love a totally off-the-wall name (I knew someone who wanted to name her kid Saturn but went with a much more traditional name)?
We’re thinking about creating a family name — how can we avoid losing our heritage in the process?
My partner and I are thinking about coming up with an entirely new last name for our family — one that isn’t attached to either family in any way. I only have one reservation: names often have a long history attached, and it’s likely we’d want to share this history with our future kids.
5 things nobody told me about changing my last name
I was not prepared for having a new name. It was a very difficult decision for me, and though I chose to give up my last name in favor of my partner’s, I had a full blown identity crisis in the months after the wedding. I found myself constantly saying, “Nobody told me about this.” Here are a few things that I discovered, just to further inform those of you who are contemplating the “big switch.”
What are the ethics of naming your child — can you use someone else’s baby’s name?
As days went by, I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling when I thought of the name — I know it’s meant for my baby, and my husband feels the same. Except… I feel guilty about the idea of “stealing” this beautiful name.
My wife and I didn’t pick names for our son to call us — and now I’m “Other Mommy”
After hearing his whole life us saying versions of, “This mommy is cooking — ask other mommy to put your shoes on,” or, “This mommy will read you one more book, and then your other mommy will take you upstairs for bed,” he now calls us — quite sensibly — “This Mommy” and “Other Mommy.”
Is it cultural appropriation if I give my white, American baby a Japanese name?
When I was pregnant with my first child, I had my heart set on a specific Japanese name (Sakura) for my child. Her father dismissed the idea because the baby wasn’t Japanese, and we ended up naming our daughter Evelynn.