Naming your baby is one of the most time consuming and frustrating
processes
leading up to the birth of your child. There are literally tens of
thousands of choices. It is difficult enough to find one you are happy
with, let alone one that both you and your spouse agree on. But that is
nothing compared to what happens when you start to involve other family
members.
This situation often occurs when you want to name
your baby after a relative or close friend. Perhaps it is a tradition
in your family to name children after a grandparent or you simply want
to celebrate a favorite relative. Although the intention is good,
conflict will certainly arise and feelings will get hurt. As if you
didn't have enough to worry about, right?
So how can you handle these difficult family
situations? First, remember that it's your baby and, thus, your choice.
If you and your spouse agree, that should be sufficient. However, this
hard nosed attitude will do little to repair offended aunts and uncles.
Naturally, the best course is to keep relatives from being offended in
the first place.
A good method is to make an announcement to your
family explaining your choice. If people hear it straight from you it's
less likely to offend anyone. The family gossip train is notorious for
exaggerations. Also, this keeps people from feeling slighted since you
took the time to explain things in a non-confrontational way.
Finally, a good course of action is just to keep
it secret until the baby is born and people get to see and hold your
child. Who will care about family squabbles when the precious child is
in their arms. Waiting for this moment will keep the silly name
argument from gathering steam and will keep the focus on what matters:
your beautiful new child.
Don't let family conflict keep you from honoring a
relative or giving your baby the name you want. Keep the focus on your
child and go out of your way to appease needy relatives. In the end,
you'll be glad you maintained your family relationships. Someone has to
watch the baby when you're out, right?
About the Author
Ian has many years of experience working with
children and understands the importance a name has on their identity.
Please visit his website about
baby names for more information. | 