Proud Traditional Names Where Did They Go

Writen by Harriet Silkwood

Toby, what is your name?" The whip marks are bleeding, etched in his back, sweat drips from his forehead and he replies, "Kunta… Kunta Kinte," Excerpted from the novel, "Roots" by Alex Haley,

How important is a child's name to his self-esteem and sense of belonging? I believe it is very important. If children are given a name that has always been in the family they tend to know where they belong. They know they were important enough to earn an honored ancestor's name and will wear it with pride.

Preferred names change over the years of course, and popular ones are the rage for a while. Cute takes over. They call it being original. The babies are not given a family name at all; it has to be their very own. Remember the 60s? All babies had the same name. I remember looking over the new birth's list in my local paper and being astounded at how many were similar. Imagine a school room where half the kids had the same name-tag. How original was that? They may as well be identified by numbers. In fact, they were sometimes. Tina 1 and Tina 2. Perhaps that's why we're seeing a different trend today.

Those babies are the parents now, and they're using unique names. I noticed a blurb on television the other day of a girl named Rainbow. I have a young grand-son named Journey. They're both sound enough, but they're not traditional. What's wrong with traditional?

Fashions in names change, but the child must bear his for a lifetime. How can a woman called Rainbow, be taken seriously? Fairly or not, names on a resume give an impression of the person before they are even met personally. Can a Rainbow find success as a brain surgeon? Or as President? Give them a unique nick-name that they can grow out of or change, but putting it on the birth certificate is just so permanent. Give it plenty of thought because it will affect the child forever.

I have to admit that my idea of solid names is not the same as another's. It's a different generation and I must accept it, but I still maintain that giving a child a family name gives him a sense of belonging that any unique, totally off the wall name can never do. Children today have a particularly difficult time as it is. They want to fit in somewhere; let it begin at home. Give them a name to be proud of and they will live up to it - both now and as an adult.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com/ which is a site for Baby Names. Harriet's portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/storytime