If you’re a parent, you likely understand the struggle. If you’re not one, try to pick a name for your future kid right now and let us know how that went. It’s not that easy. It’s gotta be meaningful, beautiful, all that jazz.
So, you can bet how upsetting it can be when you’ve spent a significant amount of effort and time looking for a name, and then it gets ruined by the fact that it means something else in another language. And somehow the friend who knows that language is at fault here.
Baby names are a huge deal as it takes time and effort to find the perfect one
Image credits: Amina Filkins / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately for the parents, it takes roughly 2 seconds to ruin it, especially if it means something in another language
Despite it being just a linguistics thing, the friend still got the blame for supposedly “ruining” the name
The story goes that OP is pregnant with her second child and often goes on play dates with another woman who’s pregnant with her third. One day, the two got to talking about baby names and the friend revealed what she and her husband came up with for number 3.
As soon as the name hit the airwaves, OP’s kid snickered. While she did try to play it off, she was pressured into admitting what’s so funny—the name, Narina, means nostril in Portuguese.
Well, that name was ruined. And the friend’s husband made it worse by calling and blaming OP for supposedly ruining it.
The majority of Reddit didn’t think it was OP’s fault, however. They argued it’s on the parents to google things before deciding on a name.
If anything, it’s not ruined–it’s in another language and a spelling change can go a long way. Heck, one Redditor found other meanings too—it’s a type of bird, and also means pomegranate flower in Persian. There, problem solved.
There are some unwritten rules to consider when naming a child, mostly for the purpose of not getting it ruined along the way
Image credits: Pixabay / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Googling names comes naturally from the process of running the name through a “stress test” of sorts.
The first major step is to determine the framework for the name: what does the spouse like, how popular is it and how unique do you want it to be, are family names important, among other, more personal rules.
Next up, look it up. What does the internet say about it? What do the initials look like? How does the name work with second or last names? What does it sound like? And is it easy to make fun of it considering all of these variations that you’ve put the name through?
Lastly, it helps to consider some future proofing factors, like how well the baby’s name would work with their sibling names in the future. Or maybe picking a gender-neutral name as these offer an added level of inclusivity, flexibility, and even creativity. But that’s for you to decide.
Whatever the case, we’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this—do you think OP should’ve tried harder in saving her friend from the truth? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!
The vast majority of commenters supported the author of the post, saying it’s not their fault language is what it is
Yet others still found fault in the author of the post, saying it’s a parenting and ignorance issue
