A man has been left in a tricky situation after hearing the baby names his wife has chosen as they prepare to have their first child.
Choosing the right baby name is one of the most important decisions for parents or parents-to-be. A name is often the first thing you learn about a person and mums and dads face the task of choosing a name that will be suitable for their child when they grow up to be an adult.
Some parents opt for names that are uncommon to make them seem unique and stand out from the rest but this can create issues. Names that are unusual can sometimes be difficult to pronounce or spell or even worse, children with atypical names face the risk of being teased by peers in school.
Unfamiliar names can also spark discussions on social media. This is what happened when a Reddit user, SlowSurr, shared that he gave his wife the freedom to choose the name of their first child.
In his post he said: “My wife is naming our first child, and I’m having concerns. When we found out my wife was pregnant, it wasn’t long until we were talking names.
“She seems to light up so much when she talks about it, that I told her she can choose the name. If she’s stuck between a few options, I can give input but I don’t find the name as big of a deal as she does. This was early in the pregnancy.”
Things took a turn when the couple found out the child is going to be a girl and the mum-to-be came up with a list of names. Unfortunately, the Reddit user admitted he is “afraid” all of his wife’s baby name ideas “might be tragedeighs” (tragedies) and has asked others on the platform if they think any of the names are ok.
The names his wife has chosen are Tashley, Serefina, Yisilina, Kolkina, Melefenia, Marcelinda and Evylonie. The general consensus is that ‘Serefina’ is the only one that could be suitable.
A user said: “If she spells Seraphina/Serafina correctly, it’s a beautiful name. The rest are medication names at best. Sorry!” This is the top comment garnering 841 upvotes.
Another added: “Marcelinda isn’t too far off the beaten path either. I agree that Serafina is the best choice.”
A third chimed in: “Anyone named Tashley will be called Trashley, there is no doubt about that.” This reinforces the idea that children with unusual names sometimes face difficulties at school as someone else replied to this comment with a prediction: “Elementary school trauma material right there.”
A fifth user stated: “There is literally not one good name in there. Seraphina MIGHT be okay, if y’all spell it right. The others are all firmly no-go.”
One user suggested a gentle way for SlowSurr to approach his wife about her baby name choices: “I think you need to sit down with your wife and gently let her know that you’re not on board with them, and it’s 100% your fault for saying she could choose because you have realised you want input in the decision making process.
“Then discuss some of the names that might work if spelt differently. Remember that she’s carrying the kid, it’s a lot physically and mentally, so it’s important that you don’t trash the names and are gentle in your approach to the convo.”