Return of the " ' "

I like to look at the birth announcements in the Sunday paper. As a L&D RN, I like to check out the competition and see how we are doing in terms of numbers.

It's also an opportunity to check out the new trend in names. A few years ago, it was the /above any letter in the name that "needed" it. Now it seems to be a ' with the same mentality. Here are a few of my favorite examples from last night's reading:

Carlysia'Sha'Lyn

Na'Kyah

E'meriyana

This has got to be my all time favorite - King Heze'kiah

There were a set of twins - Midestini and Mitias.

When I was growing up, I had a few friends with "different" names. When it came time for roll call, their faces would turn pink and continue to a deep shade of red as the teacher moved closer to their names. Students would giggle and laugh as someone tried to pronounce their names, usually missing it by a long shot. The teasing would usually continue for the rest of the day, as people called the students by their "new" names.

I can think of one friend in particular. Her name was Thias (Tha-is). She was called Tie-ece, Tie-as, etc. She would sit next to me and mumble "I hate my name . . . " I truly felt sorry for her. Working in L&D, people try to make baby names original, and I can't help but to wonder what happens to these kids when they get older. One young mom told me that she was naming her daughter Elizabeth, but she wanted to spell it Alisabeth, with a accent above the "A" of course. I guarantee this little girl will have to correct people for the rest of her life.

It's hard enough being a kid. I wonder if parents think about this when choosing a name!