Thursday 3 December 2015

Why Kids Grow to Hate their Names

Let me start by asking, how many of us love their names and have never thought of changing them? Do not attempt to lie
to us of how much you love your name if you have a pseudo name on Facebook or you have an alternative name which your friends know you by.

So many people have grown to hate their names and the reason is obvious; Nobody gets to name themselves. Otherwise the world would be chaotic as we wait for kids to understand themselves before getting a name. Worse still, names would be changing as people feel the need to adapt to their personalities.

Here are the reasons why Kids grow to hate their names?

Reason 1
Most parents name their children in accordance to their culture. Very few of our parents wanted to give a name that was not in line with our customs. Hence, most of us are named after someone who lived ahead of us.

Back then, names were very few and that is why we find ourselves with common names that a good number wish they could change.

Reason 2
Currently, parents have become more liberal and are paying back for being given names they do not like. At the moment, creativity is off the chats and kids are getting names they hardly can pronounce. Culture is no longer a rubber stamp for naming.

My concern is, Do you think your child will grow to love that name? In my opinion, probably not because you are giving him/her a name you would want to be yours.

Reason 3
For those who are not into creativity, they have pegged their naming on events/occurrences in their life. Two examples that stand out are the visits by President Obama and The Pope to Kenya.

Children received all sorts of names during these two visits and here again I am worried. Will these names have any meaning to our children? Will they appreciate being named after these great men? What happens if a boy was named after the Pope and does not grow up Catholic?

Among all my reasons this is the one I feel is doing kids the greatest injustice.

I am not being judgemental on parent as I am one. All am saying is, take time to chose a name for your children. They may not grow to like it, YES, but they may appreciate the meaning and thank you for it. 

I appreciate my name very much and have never thought of changing it, if anything I only added a synonym during my teenage years. I used to go by Tabitha Dorcas. Thank you Mum and Dad for giving me a lovely name. If you are looking for names, Tabitha is a great name for your daughter.

Here are related articles:
1. The Power in Writing
2. Two Reasons Why I admire CS Anne Waiguru

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