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30-DAY WRITING CHALLENGE / 9 SEPTEMBER 2022
Why what you name your children matters
We are the ones who have to live with your choice
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
-William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)
I peered intently at the glowing computer screen. Cursing the slow dial-up connection, I waited anxiously for the page to load. As the morning sun continued to stretch across the cool blue sky, I tried to swallow the impatience boiling up deep within. I would be heading to the hospital soon and was furiously trying to get through the alphabet. Finally, I had to leave, and I had only made it to B.
Pregnant with my second child, I initially had about 3 more weeks till full term. My first child had obediently appeared at the expected time, and I figured that my second born would have extended the same courtesy. But oh no! He had other plans and decided he wanted an early exit. Three weeks early, he demanded out.
We did not usually pick a name till closer to the due date, so I was not prepared for this change in schedule. After confirming that I was definitely in the early stages of labour, I did a mad dash to the computer in a desperate attempt to…
