p.s.
Actually, Lily's post on baby names touches on one of my obsessions. I've always been grateful for my own unique name. My family is from a culture that encourages people to give their children unique and meaningful names. My mother is a labor and delivery nurse who has had several children named after the nickname on her nametag.

But as someone who almost every day gets a comment about her name, I have a few words of advice for breeders who want to get creative.

1. Don't misspell a "common" name unless it's worth it. My friend Geordan's name is cooler and manlier than the usual "Jordan" and there's a family history behind the name, besides. On the other hand, while I remember Khrystyne Haje as a beautiful actress, I'm not sure misspelling "Christine" or "Kristine" would be worth her having to spend a few minutes each day spelling her name. (Who knows, though. Maybe there's a family history behind it. Maybe her parents just hated vowels.) And what about poor Zakree or Mykl? If you have to get creative, make a commitment and name your children something that's not only hard to spell, but also hard to pronounce.

2. If you spell your child's name tragically wrong, do it for a good reason. Laziness is not an excuse. If you're not sure where the accent goes in Renee, don't guess. Look it up, or leave it off, or spell her name "Renae." Andre is not Ondray and Craig (or Craigg, if you insist) is not Creg and Sierra is not Chiara. Of course, there are reasons other than inertia that justify misspelling a name.

Don't get me wrong-- an unsual and meaningful name can be a beautiful thing. Peerless Price of the Atlanta Falcons has such a terrific name. Who wouldn't want that as a signature?

While I've probably offended the parents who say they want to express their child's "individuality," I hope you don't feel that I'm picking on people who might actually have these names. With them, remember, I am in solidarity. They don't need my permission or approval anyway. I just want parents to think about what their kids have to go through for the rest of their lives.

As the MPAA and other moralists might ask, "What about the children?!"