Last year Mumsnetters rallied behind a seemingly pointless quest of mine to find a lost teddy and helped give my son a very Merry Xmas. The comments and posts on my thread were unbelievably kind and I was struck by what a great bunch of people Mumsnetters must be. On the Baby Names forum though I often read comments which would give the impression we are the total opposite and that instead it's populated by quite a vicious bunch.
I have read some awful things written about my child's name on here, comments that have sometimes really stung. If I was posting to ask advice about his weight, hair colour, acne or sexuality then I have no doubt people would reply with kindness but instead I've seen endless posts about how 'x' will never be a doctor or using 'y' is akin to child abuse and that you shouldn't have been allowed to breed if you were going to name your baby 'z' (or worse something beginning with k). I've seen parents and children described in the most awful way just because their naming style differs from others and for the most part the names being attacked are ones in the current top 100. Names that will be unremarkable, commonplace and totally acceptable once our youngsters are young no more. As most people on this forum are likely to be hormonal parents to be, or sleep deprived and angst ridden, I wonder if an intervention is needed?
I'm going to start an appreciation society for the hyphenated. A support network for those with the initial K. A meeting place for the made up, awkwardly spelt and abbreviated. You're all welcome - membership is free and there is booze on offer. Founder members include Tony and Cherie (nickname and slightly common sounding), Condoleeza Rice (made up spelling), Madonna (sounds like a sex worker) and Willie Walsh (never going to get a decent job with a name like that). Kay Burley, Kirsty Young and Kate Middleton have shown interest in joining. Yes, Kate has the far more acceptable 'Catherine' to fall back on but it's obvious she has experienced first hand the negative affect on your life a 'K' name can cause. Our hyphenated patrons have asked to remain anonymous as they know the persecution that might follow if the unfortunate dash in their name becomes public.
So I'll start...
My name is CheeseandBunion and I have a child with a nickname on their birth certificate... And I like it.