School & Teens

From grade 7 he wants to go by a short version of his name. His grandparents chose the long one very carefully

dusk_balcony_1641

He's been trying it out on his holiday friends and says he'll introduce himself that way when school reopens. Nothing changes on paper, he says, it's just what people call him. My partner's parents are hurt. They picked the name after a lot of family discussion and it means something in Urdu that the short version doesn't. I don't mind it, which my partner's mother has noticed. Do children stick with these, or is it a phase that passes by the next birthday?

3 comments

  • maple_camera_6714

    In our family every child has the official name, the home name and whatever paati calls them, which is a third thing entirely. Nobody has been offended yet, though my daughter now corrects people on all three 🙂

  • pebble_hammock_4485

    Does he want teachers to use it too, or only friends? That changes things. If it's friends, it's his business. If it's teachers and the register, the school may have a view, and the grandparents might take a nickname among friends more easily than one the school uses.

    • moss_chai_3829

      Teachers at my school usually go along with it if the child asks them directly. Most who switch at that age keep it for a year or two. A few keep it for life.

  • lagoon_hammock_2192

    mine wanted only his surname, like the cricketers. lasted till the first ptm, when the teacher used his full name in front of us. he didn't seem to mind.

Add a comment

Share what happened for you. Plain text; be kind and specific.

Keep going

Keep reading

More from the parents who were here.