I am expecting a New Year's baby. We've been thrilled except for one issue. I really hate both my last name and my husband's.
My last name happens to sound a lot like an obsene phrase if you say it too fast. I've suffered years of humiliation as a result. School was hell and even now, as a thirty-year old working in a law firm, co-workers still tease me. My mother admits that it is terrible and that she actually cried when my dad proposed because she knew she'd end up with his name.
Growing up, I couldn't wait to marry so I could ditch my last name. No such luck. I married a man with a horrible last name. My husband's last name is difficult to spell and pronounce. He also hated it as a child and thought about changing it, but his mother said it would break his father's heart. I kept my horrible maiden name because it seemed senseless to exchange one horrible name for another.
So here we are with these terrible names and a baby on the way. I got an idea a few weeks ago to let our son (It's a boy acording to the sonogram) have a fresh start with a different last name. We had three first names that we really liked: Alexander, Jackson, and Bailey. At the same time, we couldn't decide whether to use my husband's last name (awful) or a hyphenated combination (worse). So I suggested we give him two as a first and middle name and one as a last name. (We still aren't settled on order). My husband loves this idea.
I mentioned this plan to my family at Christmas and they were scandalized. My in-laws had a similar reaction. They liked the names, but thought that the baby should have one of our last names.
Does our plan sound wrong?
My last name happens to sound a lot like an obsene phrase if you say it too fast. I've suffered years of humiliation as a result. School was hell and even now, as a thirty-year old working in a law firm, co-workers still tease me. My mother admits that it is terrible and that she actually cried when my dad proposed because she knew she'd end up with his name.
Growing up, I couldn't wait to marry so I could ditch my last name. No such luck. I married a man with a horrible last name. My husband's last name is difficult to spell and pronounce. He also hated it as a child and thought about changing it, but his mother said it would break his father's heart. I kept my horrible maiden name because it seemed senseless to exchange one horrible name for another.
So here we are with these terrible names and a baby on the way. I got an idea a few weeks ago to let our son (It's a boy acording to the sonogram) have a fresh start with a different last name. We had three first names that we really liked: Alexander, Jackson, and Bailey. At the same time, we couldn't decide whether to use my husband's last name (awful) or a hyphenated combination (worse). So I suggested we give him two as a first and middle name and one as a last name. (We still aren't settled on order). My husband loves this idea.
I mentioned this plan to my family at Christmas and they were scandalized. My in-laws had a similar reaction. They liked the names, but thought that the baby should have one of our last names.
Does our plan sound wrong?
