Names are funny things. We don’t pick our own – our parents give them to us at a time before we have even met. How do they know if our names will fit us for an entire lifetime? That is kind of a long time.

When we picked our daughter’s name (Jaclyn), we always assumed that she would be called Jacqui for short. That was not her plan, at least until fifth grade. She was known to quickly correct anyone who tried to use a nickname by saying “That is not the name my parents gave me.” That said, when we were ordering her Carvel birthday cake in fifth grade, she decided that was a perfect opportunity for a name change. At that moment, “Jackee” was born and scrolled in color on a beautiful cake. Think of the various ways that this particular nickname could be spelled. We didn’t know anyone named “Jackee” and to this day really don’t know the derivation of this particular spelling. But, we always know the people who knew the younger person because they still call her Jaclyn. Now in college, Jaclyn is reappearing in professional circumstances.

When our son came along, we let Jaclyn name him. (She was still Jaclyn at the time). Not without limits, but she did choose. Eric could have been – Ethan, Eli or Eric. She chose Eric and here we are. But here’s the catch. Although in recent years, Eric has fully embraced his given name, in the early years it was not easy going. I remember taking him to nursery school one morning and being greeted by Miss Carol who turned to my son and asked “Who are you today?” to which he responded “Jason”. And off he went into the building with teachers and friends calling him Jason. Later that week, I found myself apologizing to a nice gentleman who my son had just chastised for referring to him by his real name.

I wonder if my children would think we had chosen well in their naming. Do you think your name fits?