On Names

Prior to birth, when parents are doing the heady work of selecting baby names, there is always push and pull. Some think that you are not only selecting a name that your child will carry for life, but you are in no small way sealing the child's destiny. Parents come up with various strategies to push the hand of fate - crying, yelling, pouting. All can be effective.

My strategy was the biographical approach. When ever K- would come up with a name, I would come up with his life story. For example, Miles was a nerdy, Machiavellian that would make up for lost milk money with evil plans of world domination. Liam was a guitar-playing, Nobel-prize winning soccer player jet setter that was loved by women, respected by men, and loved his mother above all else. An easy choice if there ever was one.

Despite my best laid plans, however, I report with some consternation that I introduce his first nicknames - Wildcat and Rattlesnake. While from a fairly benign origin (as reported yesterday, he shakes his head like crazy when he is hungry), it fear that they are leading him on another life path. A life of a biker, escaped prisoner that enjoys pork rinds and who counts among his closest associates Icepick, Dagger, and Eddy. As you can see in the photo below, he is already exhibiting thuggish tendencies. Where have we gone wrong?

From Liam Birth