What's YOUR Name?

The Infant Prude

The Prude had planned a short, straightforward question for today but is discovering that all those years of lectures render unable to be brief and pithy. So, introducing Something Else New today, we will have a Question Followed by a photojournalistic jaunt FOLLOWED by a recap of the question.

The Prude briefly mentioned a couple of days ago that, in the interest of Family Alphabet Equilibrium, you may need to change your name. And the gears started churning in Prude’s head. If she could change her name, what would it be?
She asks the same of you.

THE PRUDE'S QUESTION FOR YOU
If you could change your name, what would it be? Or are you happy with your name?
All right, begin thinking, and come with the Prude on a Walk Down her Photographic History.

NOW BACK TO THE PRUDE
The Prude’s parents named their blobby baby ‘Anita’. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Possibly they hoped she would grow into the graceful, willowy, sophisticated creature associated with a name like ‘Anita’. Hope springs eternal, but as is so often the case, hope trips over a shoelace and lands on its face.

At first little Anita had no problem with her name, although at various times she preferred ‘Dale Evans’ or possibly ‘Boss’.

Eventually, however, Anita began to think that her parents should have named her the lively, cheerful name ‘Debbie’ instead of Anita. She has proof.

Early Debbie-ish stage

Look at the toddler photo. Does not that child just shout ‘I’m a perky Debbie’? And while Debbieness is not so apparent in the grade school photo,

A little Debbie

(possibly due to the dozen bobby pins in her scalp) we can still see some bubbly Debbie qualities around the eyes.

Almost no Debbie

In high school any resemblance to a Debbie almost disappeared in the side part and round cheeks, but came galloping back in college wearing spiffy tube socks and a perky haircut. If you saw that young lady zip by you on a carousel, wouldn’t you immediately think, ‘She looks just like a Debbie’? Would it occur to you that someone with a pixie hairstyle would be named Anita?

The Merry Debbie Quality comes Round

You see my point.

A pink and vivacious Debbie type of couple

In early wedded and childbearing years Debbie still would have been an appropriate name for that pinkish, vivaciousish young lady who kept the pixie haircut. The handsome lumberjack-type at her side looks the kind of guy who would marry a Debbie too, doesn’t he? Or possibly a ‘Debby’.

Late in the Favorite Name Stage

For the next many years Anita and her alter ego Debbie had a new name. An absolute, all time favorite name.
Mommy.

And now The Prude mulls. Does she still feel like a bubbly, jaunty Debbie? Is she finally at peace with her inner Anita? Can she wear the name her beloved parents gave her with klutzy pride? Or should she expand on her Prude persona and be ‘Prudence’?

Yes, these are the things that dance around in my brain on days I am trying to publish a non-murky post. And The Prude will continue to mull about what name suits her best right now until that day, as yet unknown, when one of her children announces that her new name will be ‘Granny’.

You  haven’t forgotten the question in all these ramblings, have you?
What is your name, are you happy with it, and, if you could rename yourself, what would that resulting name be? If my blog is rude and doesn’t allow a response feel free to spend what could have been a productive weekend mulling over the query, and please come back Monday!

With Love, Your Prude