DD is insisting on being called "Cherry"

[Anonymous]

Newsflash: If you name your kid something awful or stupid (like one of those ridiculous spellings "cydney" or Mahkhenna) expect your kid to change it.

[Anonymous]

Ahh...call her Cherry.

Signed,
Ferdinand Ignatius

[Anonymous]

My 70 year old mom has 3 friends named Sharon, it's a bad name for a teenager. Nothing wrong with Cherry, it will be an interesting story for her to tell people too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never like my name but was super annoyed by the way my parents spelled it- I always had to spell it, pronounce it, etc... so one day in high school- I changed the spelling to the more traditional way. I just started writing it and it quickly stuck. I never asked permission and it took a few years for my parents to realize I was the one who changed it (not all these people spelling it wrong like they had already done for most of my life). It made things easier.

In hindsight- I should have gone by a different name

How is it spelled on things like your passport and drivers license?

until I got married- it was spelled the way they gave it to me. When I got married- I changed the spelling, my middle name and last name.

[Anonymous]

Shar or Shay? She's not wrong, Sharon is ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Cherry is adorable and you should just let her be who she wants to be. That said, you could suggest that she go by Essy (which are her initials S.E., but let her spell it in a cute way--Essy or Essie). If he hates that idea, don't fight her on it. Let her keep what she determined is right for her.

The OP’s unstated concern is the possible, though unlikely, sexual connotation.

It’s 2025. People no longer make those dumb and inappropriate associations with names such as Cherry.

[Anonymous]

If the mom in the post had name this kid Cherry, wouldn't everyone be jumping all over her for giving a bad name?

Sharon may not be popular now, but does have biblical roots and is a fine name.

You can't control everything your kid does, but you can be sad about it.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe this is the hill OP wants to die on. Choose your freaking battles. One day you will have some real issues to fret over, this is not it.

[Anonymous]

Just call her Cherry. This is not a big deal. Do I want my kid to switch their name to something I don't like? No. But if they are old enough to have an opinion on this, I'll go with it.

I'd probably switch to using a pet name for her anyhow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the mom in the post had name this kid Cherry, wouldn't everyone be jumping all over her for giving a bad name?

Sharon may not be popular now, but does have biblical roots and is a fine name.

You can't control everything your kid does, but you can be sad about it.

There are lots of choices that 14 year olds make that I'd judge an adult for making. Cherry is an immature choice. But at 14, it's really OK for this kid to be a work in progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just call her Cherry. This is not a big deal. Do I want my kid to switch their name to something I don't like? No. But if they are old enough to have an opinion on this, I'll go with it.

I'd probably switch to using a pet name for her anyhow.

This.
I am GenX and agree it’s pretty bad simply for the sexual connotations (we had a lot of songs and movie references in our teen era that crassly alluded to a girl’s “cherry” —which is something else entirely to dissect in another thread—and I will acknowledge that it gives me the ick about that name.

But apart from offering an explanation of why the 40+ crowd may look sideways at the name, I’d just shrug and go with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about Cheri?

+1 I think this is super cute and a good compromise if she’s willing! Less of a fruit more of a name and pronounced the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shar or Shay? She's not wrong, Sharon is ugly.

It's just that it reads like an old lady's name. I liked your suggestions but sounds like the kid has dug in with "Cherry." Ugh. Fwiw, I know a few kids who tried new names that didn't take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Wow, so many people have replied!

A lot of people were suggesting she go by her middle name. I suggested this to her as well, but she said that her middle name (Eleanor) is also an old lady name. I think that's just unreasonable. I knew plenty of young Eleanors, and besides, she could just go by Ellie! I also talked to her about the sexual connotations of "Cherry", but she said I was being "gross" and just walked out the door

Honestly, I think she just wants to pick and choose her name and that's not how names work!

This has got to be a troll. Even if we believe someone might name their child Sharon Eleanor, they'd at least realize their mistake by the time the drugs wore off at the hospital.

No one would actually expect a child to go by either of those names.

What on earth is wrong with Eleanor/ Ellie??? I mean Sharon, yeah. But Eleanor/Ellie is grouped with Penelope/Alice/ Caroline/ etc in terms of old lady names that are classic and relatively popular at the moment

1- The two names don't go together at all in terms of feeling/popularity.
2- The two names don't flow well together in spoken language. It's a mouth full.

[Anonymous]

What was Lady GaGa’s song about? (Cherry, Cherry; Boom-Boom!).