Inspiration for a first name can come from very different sources. A book, a series, a known and admired character, or, more often, a family name to pay tribute to a loved one who has passed away.
But is it always good to name your child after another person? This is the question that arises, belatedly, a young father who regrets having given his daughter the first name of a person who disappeared shortly before her birth…
A tribute name
It is online, on a Reddit forum, that the young father of the family anonymously poured out. Returning to the birth of his daughter and the choice of his first name, he confided his doubts and his questions about the latter. “My wife and I had our daughter a month ago,” he wrote. “My mother-in-law died a few months before she was born,” he said. “We decided to give our daughter her first name, Renee,” he said.
An old name
At the time, this choice seemed obvious to him. Both love this first name and appreciate being able to pay tribute to this grandmother who will never know her granddaughter. “I felt like it was pretty cool and interesting,” he revealed. “There was something classy about it,” he completed his remarks. However, now that little Renee is born, things don’t seem so obvious.
An image of an old lady
“I don’t like my daughter’s name. I sincerely hate him,” he confided. “It’s so weird to call her Renee. It’s like talking to the soul of an old woman trapped in the body of a month-old baby. Moreover, each time he pronounces the name of his daughter, he admits “imagining my grumpy old mother-in-law”. An image that is “not only overwhelming” but “pushes the aspect of the old lady’s name”.
A deep hatred
His wife, on the other hand, loves this first name and does not intend to reconsider her decision. “I tried to distract her by giving her nicknames (Nene, Renny, etc. but I want her to have a name” he was angry. “I just hate this name !!! Advice? “Concluded In the comments following his post, many users suggested that the father call his daughter by a middle name, leaving his daughter free to choose when she is old enough to do so.
Separate the person’s first name
“As she gets older, she will acquire her own personality and it will crush this association with your mother-in-law,” one person claimed. “In time, ‘Renee’ will become your daughter, not your mother-in-law. It’s weird at first but give it time. You will cease to make the association” confirmed a second person. Finally, a last one recommended: “Talk to your wife. Then, if you both agree, change the baby’s name and if you still want to honor your mother-in-law, use that as a middle name.”
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