The Name Game

I just got finished reading a blog that I like to visit and today the topic was how she chose names for her children. It was mildly interesting, so for lack of a better topic, I thought that I would write about the same.

First I must say that I firmly believe a child should have a meaningful name. It makes me cringe when I hear a parent say, "Well I just liked that name." I know there are some lovely people out there who have no reason/purpose for giving their child a certain name, but for me personally (and this is MY blog, so if you don't want to hear MY opinion, please exit to the right) I just believe that if you have a name for ALL your life, you should at least have an interesting story about it. Secondly, I think that if children are given biblical or family names, it grounds them to some extent, it gives them a feeling of connection-I mean, there was a reason that you adored that person enough to give your child their name so it must be meaningful to you, right?

So, in the beginning, there was Sumsum ....Summer was born in July(hence, the middle of summertime). Also, when I was in college at WKU, I had a friend who's name was Summer and I always thought that was the coolest name! Now the truth comes out....toward the end of our friendship, Summer sorta "went off the deep end" and took up employment at a respectable establishment in Bowling Green called 'Tattle Tails' where she was schooled in the fine art of exotic dancing. However, I still always thought she had a really great name and so I gave it to my daughter. (I am now kicking myself in the butt for the stupid comment that I made in the above paragraph about giving your child a meaningful name!) So the joke among my sisters is that I named my child after a stripper...Ha,Ha! ANYWAYS! Summer's middle name is Mikala, she was named after my dad Michael.

In line to the throne is King James. My sweet son. He was named after the matriarchs in his family tree. JD's grandmother's (on his dad's side) maiden name was James and my maiden name was Davis, so he was given the name James Davis, ie: JD. Doesn't James Davis Taylor sound like a future president's name? Maybe a doctor of a medical foundation, or president and CEO of a large and successful corporation, ....or the name of a man who lives next door to his mother all his life and mows her yard and goes to the grocery for her at her beck and call. Doesn't it sound like the name of a gentleman who drives his mother to church every Sunday and to homemakers on Tuesday mornings? Scratch the whole president, doctor, and CEO thing. JD's never leaving his momma!

Then I gave birth to my third child which actually turned out to be a bear. From the beginning he was given the nick name 'Baby Bear' because he looks like a sweet angelic baby, but acts like a rowdy, destructive bear. Colton is unbelievably strong and constantly active. He is, by far, my most hard-headed child, which he undoubtedly gets from his father (for some reason people always roll their eyes and begin to whisper when I say that)! "Colton" is actually his middle name, his first name is Jeffrey and he was named after his dad-Jeff. Jeff is also the name of my husband so it worked out really well...JOKING people!

And bringin' up the rear is Sydney-poo. Sydney's middle name is Ellen and she was named after my mother. Some of my family calls her Little Sydel. (Sydney and Ellen combined). I have an uncle who calls her 'Ellie'. She'll probably grow up answering to anything...I can just hear Dede now, "Hopefully she won't be answering to the name *Cherry* or *Lady Diva*...didn't you have any other 'respectable' friends you could name your youngest daughter after?"

Shut up...Dede!