Do parents / should parents have the right to name their children whatever they like?
Read this article and then post your thoughts.
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27 comments:
I personally believe that parents should be able to name their child whatever they'd like to. I don't think anyone has the right to stop or question parents as to why they're naming their child what they decide. Many couples start thinking of names as soon as they know they're having a baby or even before that! I highly disagree on the 'grammar and pronunciation rules' that would stop someone from naming their child with a desired name.
I really think the parents have the right to name their childrem as they get the burden to raise the kids... Parents have dreams and aspirations for their children and names in some cultures may determine the child's future so I therefore have to say parents should name their kids whatever name they want..
The first thing I thought of was when I came across this Facebook page ages ago called "MY SISTER SAID IF I GET ONE MILLION FANS SHE WILL NAME HER BABY MEGATRON!" Now, of course we don't know if it actually happened in this case; however, as crazy as it sounds there are seriously some people out there who would go ahead and name their child something such as 'Megatron' or ...'Voldemort'
I'm most definitely not for the rule that parents should be restricted from naming their child something other than names that are on the list of pre-approved baby names or names that are supposed to fit the country's grammar and pronunciation rules. I believe it's great when a child is named something that is beautiful, unique and stands out, but I can't help but think that naming one's child after a character from Transformers is just pure ridiculousness; quite selfish really when you think about how they aren't the ones who have to grow up with the name.
Parents having the "rights to name their children whatever they like" to me is for example, creating names like I've come across often before, or looking for names from other countries and cultures. There is still however an extent to how "Unique" a parent should go when choosing baby names I believe...
It's funny because I actually looked into this some time ago when I read this fact saying that in Denmark it's a rule that you must choose from a list of pre-approved baby names. I honestly never knew so I read into it some more..Here if anyone would like to read :) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/world/europe/08iht-danes.html
Well I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with the question...
I believe in freedom of choice but on the other hand, like Benny mentioned, there are some names that are sheer outrageous and would ridicule the child as he/she grows up. Take for eg: the main character in 'Meet the Fockers' he had to change his name because he was being bullied and teased because of the name his parents gave him.
However, there are also names that aren't on the list of pre-approved baby names or fit the country's grammar and pronunciation that are very unique and beautiful. Thus when it comes down to choosing a side, I guess I'd be for the rule that parents should be allowed to name their children whatever they want.
P.s- Ronald, I don't think any parents should find raising a child a burden. If it's a burden to have a child, I don't think they should have one in the first place. It's not like they're forced to raise a child, I mean if they don't want to, there are various of alternative solutions instead of making themselves miserable and thinking it's a 'burden' to raise their children/child.
I personally don't believe that parents should be allowed to name their child WHATEVER they want. But at the same time, I don't think the solution is so straightforward.
Who are we to stop two responsible and sane adults from naming their child what ever they wish, it is, after all, their child. A lot of people say that as long as its something "nice" its okay - but the definition of "nice" can be very subjective as different people have different tastes. So really, even though I don't think anyone should name their child voldemort, there doesn't seem to be a logical and objective way to stop them.
I wish you were named Voldemort, Raya :p
I think that whether or not they want to name their child something foreign or outlandish, in this day and age it seems so out-dated to restrict something as personal as naming your own flesh and blood, just because of where you live or your culture and traditions. That freedom is a parent's.
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That said... we need to be able to shelter a child from the misery he/she are to face in life with a name that will NEVER, in no situation, allow people to meet them without prejudice or mockery... So I guess within reason, parents shouldn't be restricted in naming their children.
No Voldemorts, Gollums, Mokee Joes, Darth Vaders though. Or even 'Harper 7 Beckham' for that matter... ;P
In my opinion,parents have all the rights to name their child,Also parents cant wait for the child to grow up and finally tell him to pick a name for him/herself.But ofcourse, parents cant name 'anything' they feel like which the child later may dislike and it turns out to be the mode of embarrasment for him .Many families consider and keep their religion andculture in mind beforce selecting a name because its the most important decision of a childs life, he/she would be called that for the rest of his life.Their are some parents i came across and are plenty out there who actually keep rhyming names for their kids like lilly,billy,and milly,which really doesnt makes sense to me and really cuts down their individuality. Lastly,the name will eventually potray and reflect ones personality because its the first thing anyone will notice so it should be given importance.
I think it's easier said than done. Sure, we can say that they're 2 individuals bringing a life into this world and they have the right do whatever they please- but sometimes, as they're caught up in their excitement (or maybe they're just crazy) they come up with names that could potentially harm the child in the future. Bullying, teasing, being made fun of.. don't these things matter? And isn't it our duty as moral beings to prevent these things from happening?
The only problem is, advocating laws like this isn't easy. What may be perceived as weird to some may not be so to others who don't necessarily understand the meaning. So maybe a name with a meaning 'gentle breeze' is funny in Iceland- but had I not known the meaning, I'd say that Blær is a really nice name.
Who knows, maybe in Denmark 'Apple' is a really exotic name.. (yes I'm talking about Gwyneth Paltrow's little girl)
Oh, god. This debate. I'm going with Hank Green on this one - as ridiculous, stupid and needlessly confusing as some names can be, I, as a third party, have absolutely zero right to dictate what someone can name their child.
That said, it's an absolute travesty that some parents don't have the foresight to think about how their name choices will impact their kids.
... that said, I think kids can bastardize any sort of name to fit their liking. So. You know. What can one do. It's one of those tautological arguments that'll go roundandroundandround with absolutely no end.
I think the parents should have the right to name their own child if they're sane. some of the names that people pick for their kids nowadays are disgusting and that poor child will come home with a bloody nose everyday.
Parents should just go online, search the top ten names used for each gender in their country, put the names down on small pieces of paper and leave it to chance.
I think parents do and should have the right to name their children. After all, they are the ones responsible for the child aren't they? And if they don't, who will? Obviously we can't wait till the child is old enough to decide on their own, what would we call them till that time?
However, parents should keep in mind that names can play a very important role in a childs life, sometimes it even causes bullying, and so it shouldn't be something outrageous.
I would like to approach this topic by discussing what I think of what the purpose of a name is. A name in my opinion is one of the major factors that creates individuality. However, we see many names being similar to others and this could be because of the population increasing and this leaves me a question in my mind, if a name given to you by your parents prevents you from gaining individuality, would it not be similar as the government naming you? I do not agree neither both the sides as the government can also avoid any harm done to a child due to it's name, however, this also creates a negative view about the government because they invade it's citizen's privacy and prevents individuals from flying away of its cage.
Well it's their child so they definitely have a say in it but of course the child, like in the article, should be happy with their name too. Of course that would mean the child would have to be grown up so he/she can think for themselves and know what they want so that they could make the decision about what they want to be called, just like in the article. So for a period of time it is completely up to the parent and they should have the right to name THEIR children whatever they like because if they can't then who can? If the child is completely distraught at his/her name then they can change it when they're of legal age.
I have already started picking out names for my future children, even though I'm far from having kids at this point of time.
So yes, I agree that a parent has the right to name their child what they wish to. As they have gone through the 9 months of carrying their baby. As they are going to raise their child they have the right to pick the name.
Parents should be able to name their kids whatever they like since the little people cannot name themselves until they reach a certain age. Although when a person/young adult reaches that stage of maturity they should be able to decide for themselves if they wish to change their names or not without any problems.
I think that parents should have the right, to some extent, to name their child whatever it is that they please. It doesn't make sense for any form of authority to have rights over what people name their child but, I get that sometimes people may abuse this right and like Benny said, name their kid Megatron, after a Transformers character, and maybe this is when the authorities should step in.
But similar to the article attached, if their reasoning for not allowing parents to name their child Blær is because it was ''not a proper feminine name", that's just silly and not valid reason.
Similarly, I know that Raya's parents wanted her to be called Raya but had to go with Parizad because of cultural issues? That's just inequitable.
parents are the people who give birth to a child nurture them, take complete responsibility of the child, no matter what it be , education , shopping, food and other stuff, these parents are the people who decide to have the child in the first place. so why can they not get to do such a simple thing as picking out their name ? i personally think that they should be allowed to name their child what so ever they want to. Like Raya mentioned often people say that as long as its 'nice' it really is a very subjective point. what may beautiful to the parent may not necessarily be a nice name to others for example if one person doesn't like cake that doesn't mean no one else will like it ...
finally i would just like to add that if the parents arent going to name the child who will? some stranger who is not going to have anything to do with the child at any point in their life? A parent should be given the right to give their child a unique name of their choice. Its just ridiculous to have rules over this.
of course there are always 2 sides to a point and as some people really do go out of their way to give their child an outrageous name, i think a higher percentile have come through with fairly decent names , haven't really come across voldemorts , megatrons and darth vaders yet ;P
I think that parents should have the privilege of naming their child because they are giving him/her a new identity, to be known to people for the years to come. I couldn't imagine parents having a child with no name, it's just sad. A name itself should be with us because it defines who we are as individuals and also ourselves as a human beings, finding a meaningful place in this world. Names are important and respectful but they should be appropriate to use for the future. I remember seeing an article last year about a parent that named their child "Hashtag". I was really shocked that they gave their child that name after being inspired by Twitter. I thought it was bizarre and crazy, I felt sad for the baby who will carry on that name forever. Parents should think carefully on what their child's name is going to be. Otherwise the outcome of it will not ever be the same again.
Like mentioned earlier it's easy to point out the fault here. It's irrational to assume that all parents are equipped and mature enough to handle certain aspects of raising an infant, one of them namely being child naming. In certain society's where adults usually are a child under their wing at a young age, the child may suffer from young irrational decisions such as being stuck with the name 'megatron'. This doesn't change the difficulty in setting restrictions, and how unfair it would be in a case like this.
Well i dont think parents DO have the rights in terms of authorities in some places,but when it refers to parents rights i do think they do and should have the rights to choose since its their kid within a boundary that begins when its offensive towards the child.
I personally think parents should have the rights to name their child because that will give it identity and since parents are responsible for the child's primary socialization then why don't they have the authorities to name their child when they support and bring up a child with their hard-work and feelings
I think that a parent has Every right to name their child whatever they please. After all, they are their blood, they raise them, so they have rights over them when the children themselves are not able to make decisions on their own.
However, having said that, I would also like to add that in some cultures, it is essential that the people be named something that fits for their society. It is expected that a child be named something that is acceptable and appropriate according the the culture and society.
One of my childhood frustrations was the fact that I had an odd name growing up. My name being a brand of cigarettes gained me a fair amout of teasing during primary and secondary school. However I'm grateful that my parents gave me such a unique name, this allows me to stand out. However in a contradiction, I also believe that children should have the liberty to choose what they want to me named as. The only reason why this is such an unfavourable option is because the only way they'll be able to choose their names is when they're at the age of reasoning where they can tell if their decisions would affect them throughout the course of their lives.
Even though I completely dislike my name and would've preferred other names of my choice parents have the complete right to name their children whatever they want no matter. They took the pain and effort to raise them they at a certain age they are their responsibility and they "own" them in a way so I think they have every right to keeping their children's respective names.
Parents have a right to name their children, however odd the name in question is. As unfortunates this is, I just think laying down the laws for what is a pleasing or displeasing name is is just too subjective, and at the end of the day, would be far too complicated to make.
But like Benny said, naming someone’s kid Megatron for the fun of it just seems like irresponsible parenting. When ( and if) that sort of thing happens, I suppose it would be right for the government to intervene.
^ Many of you have pointed out that parents should have the right to name their kids. But the question was should parents have the right to name their kids whatever they like? (including names such as: Kindness, Lightning, February, Washing Machine, Banana... you get the idea.)
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