About the Girl who got mocked by Airline - I think its the mother fault.

[Le Gaucher]

Yes the airline staff was stupid and need to get their ass grounded.

But Naming the Kid "Abcde" ?

That is Mental. I know freedom of expression and all that. But let's get real. What what the lady expecting?? I pity the poor kid and how she is going to get bullied in school.

[edhopper]

1. The airline employee was in the wrong

that said, the Mother should know the child will be mocked, probably at school.

I also expect the girl to take on a nick name like Abby.

[Blueplanet]

34. I agree edhopper

I was thinking the same - Abby would be a great nickname.
For the child's sake.

[Dorian Gray]

79. The child's name

is pronounced Ab-City.

She's going to get teased her whole life bc of that. Which sucks.

That doesn't make it okay for a professional adult to point at a 5 year old and laugh.

Also doesn't make it right for the parent to take it to the press??????

Poor Ab-City.

[marybourg]

84. I read it was Ab-si-dee.

Kinda cute, if it had been spelled like that.

[Dulcinea]

138. She'll probably change it when she turns 18.

Watch her change it to something like Mary Jane that she doesn't have to spell or explain for the rest of her life!

[NurseJackie]

147. Maybe she'll choose Ella Minopee.

[delisen]

120. May I name my child Hawkeye without being condemned by democrats?

[edhopper]

124. I don't get the reference?

[delisen]

136. Last of the Mohicans and the tv series Mash about Vietnam war

[edhopper]

137. okay

thanks

[Mariana]

142. The TV series character's name wasn't Hawkeye.

He was named Benjamin. Hawkeye was his nickname. I don't think the Last of the Mohicans character's real name was Hawkeye, either.

[delisen]

143. Correct you are but may one name a child Hawkeye after characters or after an ancestor?

or after someone nicknamed "Hawkeye."

Might a child be named Hawkeye because the parents admire the qualities of such a character; is it preferable to name the child Natty or Nathaniel Bumpo instead?

What if a parent adopts the custom (of some cultures). and waits until a child exhibits a trait emerges or a significant event occurs in a child's life and the child then receives a permanent name based upon the trait or experience.

What if a child is nicknamed Hawkeye-is that acceptable to people who feel strongly against unusual names?

I would not mind my parents naming me Hawkeye after the character in MASH- a man in an absurd situation, and who finds an ethical path to follow, focusing on saving lives and engaging in gallows humor to get himself through each exhausting day.

[Mariana]

144. Of course you may do so.

That's not really a good analogy, because your kid named Hawkeye would be far better off than this poor child. For starters, the correct pronunciation is obvious to anyone who can read English, so everyone wouldn't have to ask or guess whenever they see it for the first time. "Hawkeye" is even found in the Merriam Webster as a proper noun, so it already is a name for something or other. It really would not be the same at all.

[delisen]

145. I feel fine with Abcde or Hawkeye

I lean liberal on names.

I am trying to understand democrats who condemn Abcde as a name choice.

I think of Democrats as liberal-leaning people, who lean-in to freedom but the naming debate has me me doubt my assessment.

I think the rising tide of unique and/or unusual names is a positive thing, not a negative. I note that millennial generation is driving the rise in the unusual names and it makes sense to me because in the internet age the unusual can be positive in identifyng an individual- in helping one stand out from the crowd.

To me, there is a lot of projection going on. There has been no indication in any news reports that the child is bothered or has been bullied due to her hame except for this one airline incident. I have seen no evidence that the mother behaved toward the airline in other than a reasonable, patient or professional manner. Yet so many post condemn the parent and, without any evidence, impute selfish or evil motives.

[whistler162]

148. Only if you can pearce together

a reasonable explanation!

[TheBlackAdder]

122. Come on, it's not like her name was Incontinentia Buttocks.

.

.

[edhopper]

123. You win the thread

[Hotler]

2. I agree. nt

[Hortensis]

35. But...this isn't really about the name at all.

Think about it.

If this jerk sniggered at a child for having big ears, would that be the mother's fault for passing on those genes?

I'd like to suggest that that man's despicable behavior and responsibilities are completely, 100% his own and separate from the mother's. And, of course, same for her. Neither of them is an excuse for the other.

[avebury]

52. Of course parents cannot control the physical characteristics that their

children might be born with. What they can control is their ability to not make stupid choices regarding their children which will result in their children facing negative consequences. People need to use common sense when they make decisions relating to their children and the actual potential consequences of said decisions. Is is really that great a decision to give a child a really creative name that everybody else could tell the parent is going to make life hell for the child down the road?

The airline employee was wrong to snigger at the child, no doubt about it. But if the parent thinks that this will never happen again, she is not the brightest bulb in the tulip patch.

[Hortensis]

63. But this isn't about the name. It's about the BEHAVIOR.

Oh, sure, this incident is only being discussed here at all because of the entertainment value of the name. An extension of what this airport creep started.

But at the core is the behavior, whatever triggered it irrelevant.

[Charlotte Little]

69. Um

No. It's being discussed here, because an adult mocked a child's name. I don't see any evidence of it being any more entertaining to anyone than any other topic discussed on DU.

The name of the child is ridiculous and her being mocked by the idiot, cruel adult doesn't change that in any way, shape, or form. The adult is still an a-hole and, IMO, I hope he got fired. But I still feel sorry for the little girl who got named the first four letters of the alphabet.

Both can be opinions held without it being an "extension of what this airport creep started."

Also, FYI: the child isn't on this forum. So, I think we're good.

[avebury]

72. You can say on and on how horrible the airline was (and they

were in the wrong) BUT that does not eliminate the fact that the parent was dumber then a sack of rocks in choosing her child's name.

When people make stupid decisions there are consequences. Unfortunately, in this case, it is the child who will pay the price for her mother's decision. It would be interesting to see if the child goes to court when she is old enough and files for a legal name change.

The mother absolutely has a role to play in this debacle.

[Hortensis]

80. Well, our thoughts are on nonintersecting lines.

I'm talking morals, manners, decency, duty, behavior. Would it connect the two to remember the kind of sniggering many like this man enjoy at the expense of creative black-culture names and those who bear them? In my experience the most contemptible and contemptuous comments are directed at the parents.

Whatever. A number of people here agree that it's reasonable to focus criticism on a mother considered dumber than a sack of rocks. I understand the point but feel any criticism her creativity may (or may not!) justify is extremely minor and not to be compared with the agent's behavior that is lower than a mostly empty sack of snails.

[avebury]

87. My sympathy rests solely with the child not the mother that put her on this set of

train tracks to be run over who know how many times because Mom didn't thinks things through.

People should not treat the child poorly because 1) she is a child and 2) at this point in her life she was put in a situation that she has no control over.

Most rational people can anticipate the inevitable outcome that this poor child has faced and will continue to face. I refuse to give the mother one iota of sympathy because her actions is 100% responsible for putting her child in a position of most likely being routinely ridiculed Two wrongs don't make a right. You can equally whap both sides up against their heads for their behavior. The mother is in no position to play the victim game. That is left to the poor child who was been victimized by both parties. The difference is that the airline employee is not a permanent part of the child's life, Mom is.

[Hortensis]

99. :) I have a special problem with spellings that

condemn people to lifetimes of tedious explanations and corrections. Such an easy problem to avoid, shirreley?

[delisen]

121. The behavior of democratic authoritarian Name Scolds is troubling n/t

[Hortensis]

130. I'm a little surprised at this here also, but oh well.

I now have several posts on this VIT (Very Important Thread) now, also surprising. (!)

See ya round.

.

[Charlotte Little]

67. Totally Agree

Of course, with that said, I'm also in the crowd of folks who believes participation medals should end.

There have been and always will be bullies and children will mock for many reasons. But naming a child something ridiculous doesn't ever go away unless the child changes his/her name in adulthood.

Take Reality Winner for example. Her mother did her no favors. Also, Reality shouldn't be in prison, IMO, but that's a whole other topic for another thread.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. It's the fault of the people who mocked her. No matter what someone's name is, it's a shitty thing

to mock them for it.

And the argument about not naming kids certain things because they'll get bullied in school is a weak one -- kids are cruel, and they'll mock for any reason if they want to. Pretending that one name is more mock-able than another simply upholds the idea that it's okay to make fun of those who are a little different.

[Le Gaucher]

16. I agree with you ..but my instinct as a parent would not be to tatoo "Come Mock Me" on my kid's

Forehead.

Society has certain norms -- going against is requires courage. Do it yourselves by all means. But to forcing your kid to swim against the tide is wrong.


I would agree if you come from a different culture. That is not the case here.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

24. What if we made room for people who wanted to go against the tide like this?

I lose nothing if someone wants to name their child Abcde. I lose nothing by just letting it be a name. I gain nothing by telling others how dumb it is.

[Le Gaucher]

27. Its not about you/me or even the mother. We are open minded. But many are not.

I would not do anything that would lead my child to get scarred.

[onenote]

48. So the heckler's veto should win?

Because people are cruel and close minded, we should adapt our behavior to their shortcomings?

What about folks that want to give their kids names reflecting their cultural heritage.

For example, Aobh. Funny looking combination of letters. Probably would be mocked. But its an old Gaelic spelling of "Eve" and I know a couple of families, one here and one in Ireland that have named their daughters with Gaelic spellings.

[Ms. Toad]

91. Our daughter's middle name has a traditional, rather than non-traditional spelling

We had agreed on her middle name months before she was born, but hadn't discussed the spelling. We decided - at the time the birth certificate needed to be filled out, that because she will be going through life with two moms (a fact that will subject her to bigotry), it was kinder to not choose a spelling for her name that would make another aspect of her life more challenging.

Parents are not choosing to take on an unusual name for themselver, they are imposing it on their child. In doing so, they ought to be thinking of how their choice of a name will impact the child who has to wear it.

Obviously, cultural and familial choices are different than made-up-alphabet soup names.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

70. If "we" are open minded, then why the judgment in your posts?

[Le Gaucher]

73. Parental instinct.

I will not sneer at a kids name.. But is everyone in the world like. Hell no.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

75. I guess my point is that I see very little difference between making fun of a kid's name and

saying you can understand why other people would make fun of it, with the added flavor of superiority that you're better than people who would do so.

[Le Gaucher]

76. No. My point is- why make your kid a target?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

77. Why assume the parent didn't go through a thought process similar to yours, but came to a different

conclusion?

[RobinA]

90. Because She Came To A Conclusion

that is way detrimental to her child. Do you not teach your kid to avoid getting into a car with strangers because people who would kidnap a child are morally repugnant? The fact is, there are people out there who would do things that hurt other people. Part of your job as a parent is to set your child up to negotiate the world in a way that will allow them to be happy and successful. It's selfish as s*** to make your child's name about YOUR creativity. There's enough kids names out there that you can be different without set him or her up for schoolyard ridicule. Proclaim your creativity to the world in ways that don't harm your kid.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

94. Why do you assume the name is about the parent's creativity? That it isn't meaningful in some wa

way to the family?

[seaglass]

100. No need to assume. The mother made the decision when she was 8 years old to name her

future daughter Abcde.

It's not about creativity, it's about a childish whim she never grew out of with no thought to the consequences for her child.

[smirkymonkey]

141. This!

Thank YOU!

[delisen]

112. Kids I know do not freak out and attack rare names. More concerned about being shot.

[Lefta Dissenter]

30. this (WhiskeyGrinder's statement). (n/t)

[brush]

47. I wouldn't burden my kid with that. I'm betting as soon as she can the kid will legally change it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

71. That's fine, and piling on this mom isn't helpful, nor does it create a more understanding world.

[pnwmom]

101. It isn't pretending to acknowledge that some name choices

could subject a child to more laughter or even bullying than most names.

Her name is pronounced like Absidee. If they had named her that, with that spelling, no one would have thought twice.

As it is, her name will always make some people react, as they struggle to figure out whether it's a joke, and how to pronounce it.

[hlthe2b]

4. I've known (and heard of others) who named their children random or nonsensical names...

My sister provided nursing care to a woman who'd just given birth, saw a sign and chose to name her son "NOSMO KING" yes, really

My Mom used to speak of a neighbor who'd named her daughter "Fomica Dinette"

This isn't new, but I guess parents name their kids according to whim (and the kids get even one day with a legal name change )

[Autumn]

5. Three hundred girls in the country have that name. Mom's should have figured out a spelling,

maybe something like Abcedee, since that was how the mother pronounced it

[Le Gaucher]

65. Maybe she can spell due to an Abscess in her brain.

[Ms. Toad]

81. That's still alphabet soup. Absidey would be more recognizable as a name,

and less likely to be made fun of or mangled.

[kcr]

86. Yes. ABCDE is not a word.

There is no vowel between the "C," and the "D," which makes it impossible to pronounce as a word. It's dumb.

[EffieBlack]

6. There's never any excuse for bullying

She has the right to name her child whatever she damned well please. No one has the right to bully her, regardless what her name is.

[Devil Child]

83. "She has the right to name her child whatever she damned well please"

Curious what your take on this is considering the above assertion.

Isidore Heath Campbell, who named his children Adolf Hitler Campbell and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, made headlines in 2008 for trying to buy a cake.

Mr Campbell and his then-wife, Deborah, both white supremacists, asked a local store to bake a cake with the words “Happy Birthday, Hitler” written on top with icing.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/man-who-named-his-children-adolf-hitler-and-arian-nation-claims-unfair-treatment/news-story/87cd3f91481bfe5d44383ffc5c13a858

Parental sovereignty still reign supreme? When does a name become child abuse? To me, absurd names are potentially abusive.

[EffieBlack]

85. It's obnoxious, but parents have a right to name their children what they wish.

And no one decent person should bully or mock a child because of what their parents named them.

[Devil Child]

89. "And no one decent person should bully or mock a child because of what their parents named them"

On this I am in firm agreement. Children have no say in the actions of their parents and should never suffer from bullying or shaming for the name they were given.

As for your first point, I am in tentative agreement. Parents have the right but that doesn't make it a wise decision. A decision that will often add unnecessary complications for a child's future that I believe run contrary to parental obligations to provide a better future for their children. But these parental decisions help keep mental health clinicians like myself very very busy in their later years. Job security I guess.

[delisen]

110. Really? Devil Child. n/t

[delisen]

111. Parents name children. Unusual names are increasing, actually help people

stand out in an increasingly crowed world.

Younger generation is far more accepting of the unique and unusual. I really don't want to return to the punishing conformity of the 1950s.

Unusual names definitely help with internet presence. "Who wants to be John Doe 6455.com

[Devil Child]

118. Yes, really n/t

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

7. A friend of a friend named her daughter Cinderella

In 6th grade they started home schooling her the teasing was so bad.

[Aristus]

13. I knew someone once named Snow White.

I don't think she was ever bullied, though. She was stunning. An absolute knock-out.

[Shrike47]

18. In Junior High I had a teacher named Jet Black. I wondered about his parents.

[itcfish]

68. A distant Cousin

of mine was named Snow White (actually she was baptized Blanca Nieves which is Snow White in Spanish) No one ever mocked her that I recall, and they called her Snow, all her life. She grew up to be a medical doctor. It all depends I guess on each child's personality and family support.

[luvs2sing]

14. I had a great-great aunt named Cinderella..

And a great-great uncle named Early Riser. It was in the 1800s, and they were the youngest of twelve and ten, respectively, so maybe the patents ran out of names? 🤷🏻?♀️ That said, having grown up being teased mercilessly about my own first name (which isn’t unusual anywhere except the little town where I grew up), I’m a little sensitive to such things.

[Locrian]

107. I knew a girl named Cinamon Toaste

had a sister French

I kid you not. She showed me her drivers license to prove it

[Dulcinea]

139. A friend of a friend named their daughter Rotunda.

That's just mean, even though they were probably thinking Capitol Rotunda.

[Beaverhausen]

8. The airline employee mocked her on social media

It's one thing to snicker when you hear or read someone's name, it's another to publicly shame a 5 year old for something he or she has no control over.

I hope no one here would go on social media to mock a 5 year old.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

9. Imo, naming a kid something like that is child abuse.

The airline employee should be fired, but I despise the parents as well!

[onenote]

49. Would you say the same thing about parents that gave their son a name most often given to girls

such as Leslie?

I'm pretty sure a boy named Leslie will get mocked in school

I also know that some pretty famous men have been named Leslie.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

50. Surely you jest.

[RobinA]

92. I Would

I'm a female with a name that's generally female in this country, but tends to be, or was, male in Britain. Wouldn't you know, some little Brit in my elementary school had to make fun of me because I had a boy's name. That is NOT something a third grader takes lightly, even though he had a hard time convincing the other kids that it was really a boy's name and eventually he gave up.

So famous Leslie's or not, no male Leslies.

[delisen]

114. Maybe you should dial down your hate meter?

[redstatebluegirl]

10. I have to say you have a right to name your child whatever you want but...

some of these names are off the rails and cause their kids harm. I had one a couple of years ago whose name was Hairy, not Harry, Hairy, it was horrible, even in college the kids were terrible to him. I had to stop it numerous times during the semester.

[Le Gaucher]

59. I am sorry I started laughing at Hairy.

[uppityperson]

11. Wrong. It's the fault of the outside who mocked her. There is a huge variety in names,none deserve

mocking.

[Rorey]

12. "A Boy Named Sue"

Maybe the mother had that same kind of reasoning as the father depicted in the song "A Boy Named Sue".

A couple of my grandchildren have unique names that I sure wouldn't have picked, but they grew on me. (What choice did I have?)

This little girl's name is pronounced ab-city, which actually sounds ok to me.

The flight attendant should be ashamed of herself. Ridiculing a child is never ok.

(Edited to add: I would never approve of doing something to a child to make him tough and mean, like naming him Sue. Strong, yes. Mean, never.)

[California_Republic]

15. So many duplicates.. I welcome new names

[SweetieD]

17. A child should not be publicly mocked for any reason. No it isn't the mother's fault.

If you don't like the name fine, but there is no law against naming your child something unusual. And the child doesn't doesn't deserve to be ridiculed.

[delisen]

41. I agree. I am surprised at so many ready to cast blame on the Mother

I would not be surprised if a Republican Party member introduced a bill to prevent parents from naming a child Abcde-but Democrats rushing to condemn a mother for naming a child after the first five letters of the alphabet?

If I were to fantasize about parental motives, I would be be inclined tithing the parents appreciated literacy than that the parents were thoughtless, cruel, meaner self-serving.

I feel as though I have stepped into the Twilight Zone of Dem Underground.

[Le Gaucher]

61. There is Idealism and then there is this thing called the real world.

It is the parent's job to protect kids .. not burden them.

[rickford66]

19. And I hated being a JR.

No middle name and being a junior causes lots of problems filling out forms, especially in the service, where you never get it right the first time.

[Bradshaw3]

20. The parents have to take some responsility - ask Kokain Mothershed

A former well-known football player from Oklahoma City.

https://newsok.com/article/2572150/some-parents-go-bonkers-for-odd-baby-monikers


His response when asked if he would give his kid such a name:
"There's no way I'd do this to a kid," Kokain said.

And to those who say parents can do anything they want, well, yeah they can do all kinds of things that will make their child's lives more difficult. They are wrong and stupid for doing it.

[onenote]

56. So I guess when Trump mocked Adam Schiff's name

turning it into Adam Schitt, not only was Trump at fault, but so too were Adam's parents for not changing their last name to something that wouldn't be as easy to mock.

(I don't know it to be the case, but I'd be very surprised if Trump was the first person to every twist Schiff's last name).

[Bradshaw3]

82. Seriously?

Uhh, well, it's pretty simple really. Schiff is their family name, not something they have a choice about, other than going through a court preceeding to change it on the oft chance that someone would mock it. That is not the same, not even close, to a parent giving their child a stupid name. Hopefully you can understand that. Kokain Mothershed did.

[onenote]

103. Of course they have a choice. As you admit, last names can be changed.

No leap of logic at all. If the standard is that parents deserve a share of the blame when the name they give their child -- first or last - subjects the child to mockery, then my example is spot on, even if you don't want to admit it.

[Bradshaw3]

106. Your example is lame and ridiculous

It's a reach trying to prove some point. Changing a last name is a lot different than giving a kid a stupid name. Comparing the two only makes you look silly, no matter how much you don't want to admit it.

[Ms. Toad]

95. Logic leap, much?

There is virtually no similarity between

Continuing to use an existing family name (which has been around for years, and would cost time and money to change)

And

Choosing a new alphabet soup name to burden your child with.

[madaboutharry]

21. Families do odd things with names sometimes.

I wrote in another post about when I was in high school I had a job at a local hospital typing out the names on the baby bracelets. Some of those names were setting up a child for a lot of teasing. I didn't find them cute at all. A lot of them were meant to go with the last name. I remember some of them to this day. I don't want to write them out here because they belong to real people.

I went to college with a girl named May. She had sisters named Fay and Gay, and a brother named Jay. But, I guess that was a bit different.

[Ms. Toad]

96. We had a Meryl, Cheryl, Teryl, Jeryl family.

[Shrike47]

22. A child shouldn't be mocked about his/her name and a mother shouldn't set the child up for it.

[cbdo2007]

23. Why take sides? They were both in the wrong.

This is definitely an issue where both sides have a point.

This kid's life is going to be MISERABLE with that name and will resent her parents for it her entire life.

The airline employee needs to learn not to make fun of people's names and especially not to post work information on her facebook account.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

25. Saying "both sides have a point" supports the side that says the name should be mocked.

[Sneederbunk]

26. It shouldn't be mocked but expect it to be mocked.

[delisen]

116. Should we all tailor our lives to please authoritarians?

[cbdo2007]

28. Should and will are two different things.

The name WILL be misunderstood and laughed at because it is silly and confusing. That was the point of them choosing that name, was to draw attention to themselves.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

58. "That was the point of them choosing that name, was to draw attention to themselves."

Why project?

[Demsrule86]

40. No, both sides were not wrong...the Mother named her kid as she chose...Airline employees

acted unprofessionally and should be fired.

[USALiberal]

115. Wow, surprised so many people here are so mean. Classy. nt

[dembotoz]

29. give a kid a strange name expect strange looks

you can name your kid anything you damn want

like those clowns who named their kid adolf hitler

the kid is gonna have to live with it...not them

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. The airline was wrong once. The mother was wrong TWICE

We never would have known about the "mocking" incident if the mother hadn't gone on SOCIAL MEDIA in her quest for viral fame. She named her child something "creative" to get attention, then when it got attention, she went on social media to get some more attention - all at her daughters expense. Mom is an asshole.

[Demsrule86]

38. The mother should have called out the airline. They were at fault and I completely

disagree with your premise. Social media is great to call corporate bad actors and their minions to account.

[GoCubsGo]

32. No. The fault lies with the people who are doing the mocking.

These are adults, not the junior high bullies they were acting like. Shame on them.

[LuckyCharms]

33. My parents named me Elemenopee. I turned out ok. n/t

[delisen]

43. Thank you.

[FSogol]

44. Your sister, Somtimesy turned out ok too.

[LanternWaste]

36. When I mock someone, that responsibility lies solely with me.

I made the choice to taunt someone. No one made that choice for me. No one coerced me to-- I decided to. On my own.

I'm not going to cower behind the mother's skirts and rationalize my own choices as her fault-- that's the very definition of petulance and making excuses.

I dislike the name as well. That too, is on me and no one else.

[Demsrule86]

37. I think you are wrong. The Mother can name her kid what she chooses...the Airline has a duty to

be respectful. So any name and airline thinks is 'funny' is fair game for their rude employees? The airline should discipline those involved perhaps fire them.

[MineralMan]

39. Nope. Not the mother's fault.

There is no excuse for mocking a child for any reason. Period.

The child did nothing to deserve mockery. Neither did the mother. Mockery is never deserved.

[JenniferJuniper]

51. No one should be mocking anyone...

We're all stuck on this mud ball together.

With that said, I do not respect parents who set their kids up to be mocked by giving them names that are definitely going to make life harder for them for no good reason whatsoever.

I find it hard to believe that ABCDE is an old family name. Mother was trying to be cute.

[MineralMan]

53. Lots of people have weird names.

Why should that matter? A popular name among Somali men is Abdi. How is that different, really. It's an unfamiliar name. That's all.

Mocking a child for the name given it by a parent is the height of ignorant rudeness, if you ask me.

Why, some parents have named their son Michael Hunt, not realizing the shame that will cause him in his life.

[JenniferJuniper]

93. Technically, one can name their kid Shitehead

if they want.

But is it a wise or kind thing to do?

[MineralMan]

98. Two brothers in my school had the names "Flea" and "Tick."

Those were their official names, not nicknames. Somewhat humorous, but it didn't seem to harm them.

[JenniferJuniper]

104. I think that was very unkind

of their parents.

Names matter.

[MineralMan]

105. I never met their parents, so I have no idea what prompted

those names. I've met many people with odd names in my 73 years. Having an all too common name, myself, I would rather have a more unique one, frankly.

[JenniferJuniper]

108. My real name isn't Jennifer

I have a unique name, although not quite as stupidly unique as ABCDE.

It hasn't been fun, for lots of reasons. It is just not necessary to play games with your kids' names. And ABCDE isn't unique; it's just parents playing games. And when it comes to parenting I say, "First off, do no harm".

[MineralMan]

109. Oh, Darn.

I love that song.

[Midnightwalk]

42. The mockers are at fault

Seriously. Period.

That said I'm kind of sensitive on the naming thing. My brother in his wife were in a car accident on the way to giving birth. Everyone is fine now but they were in a coma for a few days. I had to name the twins and it's been a sore spot ever since. I think Denise is a perfectly fine name.

[delisen]

45. I know someone named Cassius. He changed it to Mohammed X.

People have their reasons. I respect them.

[delisen]

46. I would consider ABCDE a problem only if the last name was FU.

[Hortensis]

132. Lol. Imo, the definitive statement on all this.

[ecstatic]

54. Yes, the mom showed poor judgment, but the gate agent was out of line

as well. 2 separate issues.

[MineralMan]

55. Some Countries require parents to submit children's name for approval.

Germany is one such. So is France. There was a story a few years ago about a baby who was denied the name "Cerise" in France. The reason was that "Cerise" is a fruit, namely a Cherry in French, and it's not right to name a child after a fruit.

Here in the United States, we write songs about such names. Think of a song about a girl named "Cherry."

[Le Gaucher]

57. Bad Idea - But Imagine if some kid was named Hitler.

People abuse their freedoms.

[MineralMan]

60. There are people named Hitler.

It is a surname. It's not a common one, but it exists.

[Le Gaucher]

62. Seriously? And they havent bothered changing it. Why?

[MineralMan]

64. What's in a name?

Yes, there are. Why? Because it's their family name and has nothing to do with Adolf Hilter.

Here:

https://www.whitepages.com/name/Hitler/New-York?q=Hitler&l=New%20York

There are 176 people in New York with that last name. Go look.

[Le Gaucher]

66. But Still. Even my family had nothing to do with Hitler. I would change it ASAP.

Imagine poor kid named Trump.

[Mosby]

74. a NJ family had their kids taken away

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/report-child-named-adolf-hitler-removed-home-new-jersey-article-1.371485

[erpowers]

78. Airline Worker's Fault

It is the fault of the airline worker. I do not see any reason to mock the child's name. Yes, it seems weird, but that is not a reason to mock someone over their name, especially a child.

[lilactime]

88. I don't. There is NEVER any excuse to mock a child, ever.

[cynatnite]

97. *THIS* n/t

[LisaM]

102. They're both wrong, and the child is going to suffer for it. Abcde is NOT a name.

It's a device to get attention, to be cute, I don't know what it is. It goes beyond deliberate "creative" spellings and putting together parts of other names to form new names (my brother used to date some whose family did this, and they were white rural people, with names like Raylene, for example).

The airline employee should probably be reprimanded because it was completely unprofessional to do it publicly and where the child could hear (I can't stomach the notion of calling for people to be fired over once mistake or incident unless it's in clear violation of a policy and god knows the struggles some gate agents have when they're paging people with unpronounceable names, I've heard a lot of valiant efforts over the years).

This mother seems like an attention-seeker, not to mention a fight-picker, and she clearly got her wish on both counts. I don't envy her child, who'll probably pick up some of these traits and continue the cycle.

[delisen]

117. Children I know do not make fun of unusual names. Actually they like them

Moon Unit Zappa is quite content with "Moon." and her brother Dweezil has no problem with his name. He is sure selling a lot of concert tickets with it.

I think its time to retire Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John but I am not going to condemn parents for saddling their children with the trite and commonplace.

[LisaM]

125. That's what nicknames are for.

And nicknames can develop to suit the personality. It's different for the Zappas, they're rich and famous, though in general, some celebrity names for their kids are just mean.

I am a huge proponent of nicknames, I really like them. But I don't think it hurt Kick Kennedy that her real name was Kathleen.

[USALiberal]

113. Wow, this post is a total fail IMO. Sounds like you would have made fun or her name also. nt

[delisen]

119. I think Abcde will do just fine in our modern world. n/t

[PoliticAverse]

127. She will face a lifetime of having to explain to people that "Yes, that's her real name"...

(and have many account applications rejected because people won't believe it's real).

[McCamy Taylor]

126. As long as she does not insist that it is pronounced "Felicia" it is a fine name.

"Ab-see-dee" sounds very pretty.

[lkinwi]

128. The airline employee shouldn't have mocked the kid.

But I feel sorry for the kid. I guess because I hate my uncommon name, that can be pronounced three different ways. It drives me nuts! Hopefully the kid isn’t like me and enjoys having a different name.

[guillaumeb]

129. If the mother liked the name so much,

she should have changed her own, and not burdened her child with it.

[Le Gaucher]

133. Thank you.. She should have at least run it past a few people and

Gotten some honest feedback

[Raine]

131. I knew someone with the name Sidikat

pronounced city cat, she too lots of teasing and abuse with that name.

[3catwoman3]

134. The main problem with Abcde/ABCDE is...

...that it DOESN’T SPELL ANYTHING!

I dont know of any pronunciation guidelines/rules that make this intuitively pronounceable. It is not like this is in Gaelic, or using the Cyrillic alphabet, where there different letters and diacritical marks. This is made up.

Years ago, I had a little patient whose name was spelled thusly - Jerome. Easy, right? Not so fast. Mom wanted it pronounced Jair-o-me, like Jeremy. Not a chance. No one ever got it right, and she would get all pissed off, but it already spelled something else that is a recognizable name. You can’t change pronunciation rules on a personal whim just because you want to.

[Meowmee]

135. The airline employee

Was in the wrong and should be fired or reprimanded etc and apologize. The parent chose a name that was a bad idea for a child. An uncle was given a yiddish name that sounded like lable, so he changed it himself to a better name at 12 that would not subject him to ridicule. Names are important and a parent should understand that.

[USALiberal]

140. Well, you are wrong. Nt

[realmirage]

146. Totally agree. You can't just name your kid something stupid

and not expect problems. Parents should anticipate this and be more responsible.