Monday, August 31, 2009

What's In A Name?

21 years later

Brian @ Waystation One, inspired this memory today.

My second son was supposed to be named Patrick Dylan. My husband had named our first son according to his family tradition and it was now my turn. I had chosen the name years before. I always loved Patrick and I thought Dylan a fitting and fluid choice for a middle name and I loved Bob Dylan, Dylan Thomas, etc. The day the baby was born, my husband told me he didn't like the name I'd chosen and he wanted to name our second son after his father. I was pissed, to say the least. We argued 4 days. I'd had a C section and remained hospitalized for the week. The Vital Statistics lady kept telling me if we didn't name the baby before we left the hospital, we'd have to go through the court system, a tedious process. My OB advised me he and his wife had the same problem with their second child and ended up naming her Kimberly Clark after the tissue box. I didn't really believe him but it turned out to be true.

Anyway, I let my husband choose my son's first name and I chose the middle name, a family name, insisting we call him by that. His middle name is Fletcher. His friends call him Fletch. I am often asked if I named him after that silly Chevy Chase movie of the same name. The answer is a resounding "No!" He is named after my great great granduncle, Winslow Fletcher, a riverboat captain on the Mississippi.

btw, my son loves his middle name!

10 comments:

Baino said...

Aww kinda sad you didn't go with Dylan but if he loves it, that's what matters. Fletcher is nice. I hate my name, *Helen* always have. God knows what my parents were thinking. Fortunately both mine love their names.

Brian Miller said...

too cute. glad i sould be an inspiration today...lol. I picked Logan's first name...yeah it does have to do with Wolverine...T picked the middle Patrick. Can't remember why but remember the moment in the car precisely. We reversed it with the second...T picked Cole and I picked Walker as the middle. lovely post...i think there is a lot in a name.

i loves the Fletch movies...but i think your reasoning has a little more sentimental value.

have a great day!

Minka said...

My husband chose my son's name (no middle name here) and I just happened to love it. I didn't like the name he wanted for a girl and I was just pleased we had a boy. What a relief!
My firt born, however, my daughter, remained without a name for a couple of days simply because we hadn't decided before and her dad was notaround, but driving his truck somewhere in Italy. Today I feel both their names fit their character. They could hardly be called anything else.

will said...

A most powerful story. Thanks for sharing.

California Girl said...

Baino: Helen is a lovely name but I understand. It's an old name. My babysitter/stand-in grandma was from Scotland and her name was Helen. They called her Nellie. I called her "Buka" because I could not pronounce her last name, Bewick, when I was a tot. She was named after Helen Keller.

Brian: My eldest son's first name is Coleman. We always called him Bryan, his middle name, but his college friends all call him Cole. That is my husband's first name also. Coincidence that yours is also!

Minka: if you heard the story about both their names you'd laugh. It was a giant struggle between my husband and I. He won...sort of. We call them both by their middle names, which I picked.

Bill: are you teasing me?

Whoistin-tinandsnowy? said...

Hi! C.G.,
What a very interesting story that you have related here about how your husband and you, decided on your second child name...

...C.G. said,"My OB advised me he and his wife had the same problem with their second child and ended up naming her Kimberly Clark after the tissue box. I didn't really believe"
LOL!!!!
Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D

will said...

No tease. It's a story of conflict, repressiveness, willfulness and male aggression. You were in a vulnerable condition and conflict wasn't something necessary at the time of birthing.

California Girl said...

Bill: I like the way you think.

Nancy said...

I like Fletch - it's different. But I like Dylan, too. I was arguing for Kelly if my daughter was a boy - my husband wasn't having it.

California Girl said...

Books: thanks. I somehow feel the need to tell and retell this story.

Nancy: I love the name Fletcher and am glad that is his name. When his namesake grandfather passed in July, he was toying with the idea of calling himself Robert or Rob but I think he's off that now.