Although we all know how important it is to be supportive of friends when they announce their baby name choices, sometimes you might feel as though you want to step in and intervene This is especially true if the name holds certain connotations the excited parents -to-be may not have even considered.
One woman says she was left 'flabbergasted' after learning how her friend wanted her baby son's name to be pronounced, and felt she had no choice but to speak up. The child's name is 'Aurelius' - inspired by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius - and she initially thought it was a 'cool' choice. However, this was before she realised her pal pronounced it in a way that sounds very much like 'areolas'. The friend says it took all of her "willpower to not ask her why she’s naming her kid 'nipples'".
Taking to Quora, where she goes by the username Ashley Jones, the woman wrote: "I tried to point out that the kid - a boy, by the way - would be horribly mocked when he was older and in school. That he would have a hard time getting a job. After all, who wants to hire someone whose name sounds like a controversial (unreasonably so) secondary sex organ?"
The new mum just wouldn't listen to her concerns, and she decided to just 'respect her decision', while suggesting other Rome-themed names that wouldn't attract mockery, such as Marcus, Julius, or even 'just not pronouncing 'Aurelius' like 'areolas'.
She continued: "It is my opinion that parents who give their kids different names are trying too hard, especially when they’re changing the accepted standard spelling and pronunciation. I also think that their selfishness and vanity are showing. They obviously aren’t considering their kid’s future or the horrible bullying that will almost certainly take place.
"They are putting their own desire to be unique and original over practicality and function and don’t consider, or perhaps even realize [sic], that this kid will one day be an adult and will have to live with that name choice. With that being said, to each their own. I hope that someone takes pity on that poor kid."
A number of fellow Quora users completely understood her concerns, with one person agreeing: "I agree. If you want to stretch your creative naming legs, get a cat. Get a fish. Get a bird. Don't do that to another person. There are actually some countries that won't allow parents to give their children names that are too 'out there'. They see it as a form of abuse."
Another commented: "I feel like if you’re going to give your kid a weird name, at least give them a normal middle name so they can go by that."
Do you have an unusual baby name story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
