Drama over baby name.

[castmember19]

Long story short, a friend of mine from high school just gave birth yesterday. The baby has an unconventional name that the mother completely made up- pronounced like Emily with an S. Yep, like Semily.

The father's family has been unsupportive throughout the whole ordeal since the parents are young and unmarried. Now that the baby has arrived, they are refusing to call her by her given name. They are calling her "Emily" instead.

It's not my issue (the mother is merely a friend) but I knew I could find some strong opinions here. Thoughts? What would you do?

 

[Jennasis]

The baby's name is SEMILY? Or is it like SIMILE?

 

[Pakey]

My son has an unusual name that my inlaws did not like. So they called him Buddy. I always found it amusing. When my son got old enough to care (maybe 12) he asked them to stop. They did.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Why, oh why would you do that to a child! The poor kid gets to spend their whole life explaining that their parents are idiots.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Similay? Semily? Cemily?

I doesn't matter how you spell it, that name is just. . .uhm. Unfortunate. I hate to say it, but uhm, yeah. Some unique names can be lovely. This one, I fear, was not well thought out.

Just my .02.

I think I'd stay out of it and call the child "duckling" until she's 3 or 4 and then swap over to "hun" or something similar and stay far, far out of it.

 

[Disney Doll]

Well, whether I like a name or not, if that is the person's given name then that is what I call the person.

Those are the kinds of things that make parents not want to bring their children around to the extended family.

 

[Jennasis]

I suppose they could call her "Sem" "Semmy" or even "Sam/Sammy" for short. I don't see how it's that big of a deal. Would I do it? No freakin' way. But it's the parents choice and I 've seen worse.

 

[luvmy3]

I would tell them that they can either accept her name, call her a pet name like "sunshine" but if they continue to call her by a first name that isn't her's, they can stop calling all together. They had their chance to name their own children, its time to respect the choices of the baby's parents even if you don't like the name.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I suppose they could call her "Sem" "Semmy" or even "Sam/Sammy" for short. I don't see how it's that big of a deal. Would I do it? No freakin' way. But it's the parents choice and I 've seen worse.

Okay, I like Sem and Semmy. That would work; more to the point, it would keep OP OUT of this one and nicely neutral. Respecting the name while not actually, uhm, using it, so to speak.

When the child gets older, if she chooses to use it and likes the name, that is entirely a different matter; I could respect the name then and it wouldn't bother me, but right now the bearer of that name is unable to have a voice in the matter and I just don't think I could force myself to use it.

I'd go with something neutral and stay out of it.

That said, we have several unique names in our family tree. Some the owners like and are glad to own, some not so much. We respect the owners' choices in these circumstances; but we know of only one relative who doesn't like her "boring" non-unique name. (That would be my mom, but the name she was saddled with, while traditional, isn't very appealing. I totally understand why she uses her middle name.) I think there's always a huge risk when you don't go with a non-unique name of saddling the bearer of that name with something he/she will not just dislike, but despise.

 

[castmember19]

There are a few comments telling me to stay out of it and the truth is I was never IN it Or intended to be. I was just curious about other opinions.

Tbh, when I first heard the name, I thought the mother was crazy too, but I had months to get used to the name and it even sounds pretty to me now.

 

[bgirldeb]

Long story short, a friend of mine from high school just gave birth yesterday. The baby has an unconventional name that the mother completely made up- pronounced like Emily with an S. Yep, like Semily.

The father's family has been unsupportive throughout the whole ordeal since the parents are young and unmarried. Now that the baby has arrived, they are refusing to call her by her given name. They are calling her "Emily" instead.

It's not my issue (the mother is merely a friend) but I knew I could find some strong opinions here. Thoughts? What would you do?

Your friend should firmly correct them when they refer to the child as ''Emily". If they come up with a cute nickname as someone previously mentioned, I don't see a problem with that, but she should be very strong to correct them when they use the wrong name. That's some nerve they have!

 

[FredinFL]

Well...at least she didn't name her Precious?

 

[pospisil]

My cousin named her daughter Castarion a few years ago. My aunt sent an email when she was born, saying her name was Castration. Everybody in the family was up in arms, of course, until we got the spelling right. Still didn't like Castarion, but everyone ended up calling her Cassie, which is cute. I learned from that to not waste my time worrying about what other people name their kids. The parents don't care what everyone thinks, and you'll get used it whatever the strange name is, believe it or not.

 

[castmember19]

My cousin named her daughter Castarion a few years ago. My aunt sent an email when she was born, saying her name was Castration. Everybody in the family was up in arms, of course, until we got the spelling right. Still didn't like Castarion, but everyone ended up calling her Cassie, which is cute. I learned from that to not waste my time worrying about what other people name their kids. The parents don't care what everyone thinks, and you'll get used it whatever the strange name is, believe it or not.

I can see why you'd be up in arms about Castration.

 

[december]

There is a prominent male attorney who has been on the news a lot here lately with the first name Precious. I just can't imagine a mother thinking that was ok........

Regardless, if Semily is the baby's name, that is what the family should call her! I would not be amused by them "renaming" my child.

As a teacher in MS, I can tell you that Semily is mild......First day of school and pronunciations are always interesting.

 

[Tink888]

I've heard crazier names than that. Who knows why parents give their kids some of the names they do, but as parents, they have that right.

The grandparents IMHO are just being petty and looking for conflict. If they don't like the child's given name, just call her sweet pea, peanut, etc and be done with it. They don't have to use a name they don't like and Mom isn't bothered that they aren't.

If the Mom is trying to force grandparents to use the child's given name and nothing else such as a pet name then she is being just as petty.

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

I just googled "Semily." Yes, I'm bored. Evidently it's the name of a town in the Czech Republic.

 

[LuLuO]

Does the name have a special meaning for her? I googled Semily and it is a town in the Czech Republic.

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

Does the name have a special meaning for her? I googled Semily and it is a town in the Czech Republic.

Jinx! Buy me a coke!

 

[mamacatnv]

OP I think the stay out of it comments were directed at the Grandparents who are choosing to ignore the childs given name

Heck, I have relatives with names I don't like but I would never shorten or makeup another name for them unless it was on their prompt.

The Grandparents are being immature and need to suck it up. I do hope the Mother did not give the baby a weird name as a spite thing, when I was young I thought Champagne would be a great girls name....thankfully I got over myself before I gave birth.

I had a perfectly rational friend who lost her mind a bit when pregnant and thought Jackaranda (after some tree) would be a good girls name, again, thankfully she came to her senses.

I have 2 kids with unusual family names and no one has ever considered calling them anything but their given names, to do so would be rude