Choosing the perfect name for your baby can be challenging because whatever you decide on will remain with your child for life.
But one mother has revealed she’s considering changing her four-year-old daughter’s name after she realised her moniker isn’t as unique as she thought.
Little Esmée who starts school in September will be sharing the same name with two other girls in her classroom.
Now the concerned mother – who grew up with a common name – wants to replace her daughter’s moniker before she starts school.
However, Australian parenting expert Sharon Witt has slammed the mother’s bizarre dilemma as ‘ridiculous’.
A mother has revealed she’s considering changing her four-year-old daughter’s name after she realised her moniker isn’t as unique as she thought (stock image)
Parenting expert Sharon Witt (pictured) has slammed the mother’s dilemma as ‘ridiculous’
‘Esmée isn’t even an offensive name or causing any distress at school. Changing a child’s name purely because another person has the same name is ridiculous. Parents shouldn’t worry about something that’s a very minor issue,’ Ms Witt told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I went to school where I had four Sharons, four Traceys and four Michelles in our classroom with 25 children, and we all got along just fine.
‘It’s a no-brainer for me, it’s not even worth considering. I wouldn’t be changing my child’s name. They have lived with it for nearly five years, they’re used to it and they’ve formed an identity. There are other ways to show originality – not what they are called by.’
Ms Witt said there was no reason to change a child’s moniker when most kids form nicknames in schools anyway.
‘Kids start school with nicknames so I would look at shortening their name to suit them,’ she explained.
‘There’s no reason to change their name but it would be different if their name is suddenly offensive, or it’s causing distress or the kid doesn’t like it.’
Ms Witt said it’s impossible to go through life with a unique name.
‘They’re going to find someone else who shares the same name in life,’ she said.
‘One day that child will be in the workplace and they will meet someone with the same name. There’s always going to be a commonality.’
The mother explained how she had to ‘live through’ a common name and so she doesn’t want her daughter to go down the same route (stock image)
Her comments comes after a mother took to Mumsnet to vent her frustration about her daughter’s name becoming common.
‘My daughter is four years old and I gave her a name which I thought was very original as I hadn’t heard another girl called it in about 20 years,’ she said.
‘Only to find when she started nursery another girl called the same but spelt differently.
‘Daughter is due to start full-time education in September and there will be two other girls with the same name, so three in the class including her.
‘Am I being unreasonable to change my daughter’s name before September? I love her name but hate it’s so common now.’
The mother explained how she had to ‘live through’ school with a common name – as she fears her daughter will go down the same route if she doesn’t do the switch.
‘I’ve lived through this. I can remember my whole junior/secondary school time being coloured by the fact that so many of us had the same name,’ she said.
‘I changed it as soon as I could because of that reason. Every time I hear my real name I shudder.’