The Name Game

Last week, my sister-in-law, who works for a magazine that specializes in neo-natal healthcare, told us a fascinating story about a new mom and her new daughter.

Wanting to give her baby girl a head start in life and a distinctive lead over the other

'so-called' mundane kids, the new mom gave the infant the name Abicity (I'm not sure about the spelling.)

When asked how she came up with this name, the mom said the first thing she saw in the maternity ward was a children's book on the alphabet and decided on the first five letters of the alphabet ABCDE (that spelling actually makes more sense.)

I've got to tread lightly hear because many friends I know have also given their progeny unusual names. The hope being, these unusually named kids would grow into their 'specialness' and not be confused with the teeming masses.

We didn't see the need for that.

And it turns out we were quite correct. Our unpretentiously-named daughters, Rachel and Abby, have turned out to be quite interesting. In fact, on many days, like when there's an NFL playoff game or Syracuse is facing off against a Big East rival, I wish they were a little less interesting.

In any case, my best wishes go out to that single mom who will be bringing home her spanking new baby daughter, ABCDE, to meet her big brothers, Google and Exit Sign.