Picture this: you've spent months thinking of the perfect name for your little one or maybe it's one that you have had your heart set on since playing house as a ten year old. Either way your mind is set and nothing or no one will change it. That is until you decide to share it pre-baby with family and friends and their reactions aren't quite as complimentary as you had hoped for.
Welcome to the political minefield of naming your unborn child and then sharing your decision with the rest of the world before the baby arrives. So you think sharing your well thought out and carefully chosen baby name with your nearest and dearest is a good idea? Really?! Yes, you may have cherished the name of your auntie Ethel for years and yes you may think it has an almost vintage charm to it but NEWSFLASH this does not mean that everyone else will or will lie to you that they do.
Yes, you and your partner may have got down and dirty one stormy afternoon watching the Game of Thrones box set resulting in a junior Daenerys or Tyrion to be on the way. Magical and full of nostalgia for you and your other half but probably not so much for your ever so traditional nan.
And why should it be? It's true, you have every right to name your child whatever the hell you want. However if you decide to release the news before your baby arrives then on your baby naming app be it! The competition to come up with the most original names has now reached epic heights with parents-to-be trawling the internet, celeb baby news, social media feeds and using baby name apps.
And like everything else when it comes to parenting everyone including the old battle axe down the road has an opinion. Therefore, you need to tread these sharp tongue-infested waters carefully and know when sharing is oversharing. That is, if you want to keep your emotions and temper levels in check.
Once you announce your pregnancy anyone and everyone will feel compelled to announce their opinions on anything and everything, from your uterus to your nursery décor to your pushchair. Therefore, announcing your chosen baby name pre-baby is pure gold dust to opinionated onlookers. It opens the judgemental flood gates and throws your choices to the lions (aka your gran, best friends, postman e.t.c.)
So why the rush to throw the name out into the arena before the baby arrives? You may feel the heat is on if another one of your friends or family members is pregnant and due at the same time, leaving you worrying that out of all the thousands of potential names, you've both managed to choose the same one. Leading to endless debates between yourself and your partner on tactile ways to slip the potential baby name into conversation right through to the downright ridiculous of "bagsying" it for yourself.
Surely if you announce the name first this entitles you to use it? And as playground rules state they will then have to discard it for another? (Yes by this point you are convinced they have the same name as you, you've spotted their GOT boxset, you know their game and it is of the Thrones variety!)
So how do you avoid the future name of your precious bundle being ripped to shreds along with your pride on finding the perfect baby name?
Be patient, hold your horses and stay tight lipped.
Save the big reveal for when you announce the birth. Just think about it...It may be easy to slag off a name when it's just that, a name, however, when it belongs to a cute and chubby, little human, not so much!
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