Names

When is the baby-naming trend going to turn, I wonder. Some of the names that people choose for their kids just don't make sense to me. It's not like we live in Charleston, where naming your son Parker or Houston or your daughter Shelby would be as common as grits. Yeah, I know I'm going to offend someone with this post, but really... today I'm at an event and we're in the children's section and, yes, there was a Shelby and a Bailey and an Avery and a Tennyson. Yes, I said Tennyson. Cool, yes. I think all of those names are pretty. And I totally get the whole idea of naming your kid after something literary (I am a writer, you know!) I wanted to name my first daughter Scout. But, here's the thing. You have to think about how many Taylors and Madisons are walking around right now. Maybe someone said this 30 years ago about the name Melissa too. You might think you're coming up with something original, but it really isn't because 20 other people are thinking the same thing on the day their baby is born! My husband and I disagreed on naming our second child. He hated the name I picked (Caroline) and I secretly loved the name he picked (Sabrina) but didn't want him to know. But, when we were coming up with name possibilities, I had four criteria - it has to sound good with your last name; it can't be some funky spelling that no one will ever get; it has to have a good nickname; and it can't be a name that kids can use to tease you with (think of Homer Simpson saying 'art, bart, cart, dart, eyart..Nope, Bart it is!') Just give it a thought. You may consider it the coolest name ever, but really - what kid wants to go through life with a name like Apple?