You Named Your Baby What?

Hello my dear friends.  It seems like every week or two I come across another glaring example of bad parenting that I feel must be addressed. Today, Nameberry.com, the number one baby name trending site, released a list of the hottest names in the first half of 2012. Some of the most researched names this year include Decimus, Halcyon, Django and Zebulon. People, people, people. I know you want to give your child a "uniqueness" and "individuality" but naming them after cult movie characters or Star Trek destinations is NOT the way to go. We're all familiar with celebrities who label their kids with things like Dandelion (Keith Richards), Tabooger (Dan Cortese), or Blanket (Michael Jackson). There is a reason for this. These people are narcissistic wing nuts. There are also the food lovers like Apple, Thyme or Sage. Celebrities can get away with this because their children will never have to navigate their way through a public middle school. Think about poor little Zebulon who will probably spend most of his time screaming for someone to let him out of his locker. Then imagine his surprise and confusion when he realizes that he's the only one racing home after school to be breast fed! This really needs to stop. What happens when little Halcyon learns to read and realizes that mom and dad named her after a sleeping pill? Or that Django was a cartoon character? Doesn't really inspire the self confidence you would imagine, does it? You can be unique without being ridiculous. Here's a couple of tips for you. If you have to explain it, don't use it. Picture your child introducing themselves at age 13. Are they looking at the ground and turning red? Are they following their name with "but please call me...". Rethink your choice. Finally, if you have to tell everyone who meets your child how to pronounce their name, you've probably made the wrong choice. I'm not saying that every child should be named John or Marie, but Zebulon? Serioulsy?
Po