Talula Does the What?!

After reading about a judge who made an 8 year-old girl a ward of the state so that he could change her name from Talula Does the Hula a couple of days ago, I had to laugh at some of the names that were brought up at the baby shower I attended last night.

Cara told me that reading through the baby name books was a lot of wasted time because there are so many "nonsense names" that are included in the books. Anna suggested that she and Craig should have named their child "Bazooka B." after reading it in one of their books.

I had no idea. I thought those baby name books were full of great biblical and historical names, names of various cultures and backgrounds, and especially names with very deep and significant meanings.

A former co-worker of mine was very interested in the meanings of different names. He informed me that my name was often associated with the translation of a "snare or trap", just like how the biblical Rebekah tricked her own husband. That sure cheered me up!

When my baby cousin died at birth, I was struck by the name that my aunt and uncle chose for her. Her first and middle names meant "a crown of glory" and "(bitter?) sorrow". What an example they set for me in choosing her name - reminding us all that even in their sorrow, they were able to rejoice that she was now with our King!

I think names can often define a person in a certain way. Some names make a person sound distinguished, others relay heritage or ethnicity.

I've personally always been drawn to a few names in my (and Matt's) own family. I love the idea of passing down something as important as a name to another generation.

Amanda often teases my mother saying she's going to name her kids little Sayid or something, but even she is just joking. She's told me some of the names that she and Wade are considering, and they're all very thoughtful.

All I know is, I think that a child's name is a serious decision and not an excuse to humiliate them right from the beginning. You won't be catching me with a stroller full of "Apple", "Talula Does the Hula", or "Matt 2.0"s!