How would you feel...

[SheRa-dude]

...if your parents didn't know the correct spelling of your name?

I've Googled this, but couldn't come up with anything even close to it. It has always baffled me how my mother could sometimes ask me "so, does your name end with a T or with a D?"

Needless to point out; I don't have any contact with my parents anymore - abuse in childhood and all - and I've moved on, but this little thing about the spelling of my name has always left me with a huge question mark and a blank space I can't fill in. I can't place it, at all. How can you not know with absolute certainty the spelling of your children's names?

Help me out here, peeps

What was your first reaction when reading the opening phrase of this post?

[Yurusumaji]

My range of emotions would likely go as follows: Surprise, Denial, Pained, Angry, Indifferent.

Once indifference hits, it's likely I would have done the same thing you did, cut off contact.

[Kiwi]

That would definitely upset me.

I knew someone in a similar situation - she knew what her middle name was, but since they had never ordered a birth certificate, the exact spelling was never recorded. And her parents couldn't agree on which spelling they wanted.

My mom often forgets exactly how old I am

[BrightSide]

My extended family, should they not be aware of the fact I despise my full given name (and actually find it quite upsetting) usually spell it incorrectly.. Not cool, it just adds insult to injury. And it also feels disrespectful for those who are aware and simply choose to ignore it.

I simply can't wait for the day I change my name, once I'm 18.. 'Laura' (chosen name) isn't so hard to spell, surely! But I doubt they'll commit themselves to it.. oh well. I don't wish for contact with some..

[mlp4me]

It makes me sad Seabreeze. Silly question, do you have a copy of your birth certificate??

Yep... My god mother still will spell my name wrong some times...

I've been tempted to change my first name, I always go by a nickname and frankly cringe if someone calls my by my full name, and what makes it worse is that it's a song.
It also doesn't help I was constantly teased throughout my school years and sang to over and over and over and over again (this was done by multiple very mean boys). At this point in my life I have a hard time holding back getting violent if someone starts singing to me (and I have like no self esteem-yay if those boys only they knew what they've done).

[kaoskat]

That's just..... Odd. I mean YOU name your children! How can you not know how to spell their names?

[dxgirly]

That's insane. Didn't they name you themselves?! 

[Maniah]

I see this a lot at the bakery I work at. We have some black customers who have chosen more ethnic names for their children. With the overly complicated spellings that occur, it is not uncommon for the mother or father or aunt or uncle to ask me to please wait while they call and check how it is spelled.

For simpler more common place names, it isn't as big an issue.

If my name was overly complicated I dont think it would bother me much. But if it was something common or simple, I would be hurt every time the error was made.

[stopxmotion]

My dad often spells my name wrong.  I think it's kinda funny.. especially since the name AND the way it's spelled (a more traditional way) were both decided by him!

Must be old age.. 

[melodys_angel]

Nothing quite like that, though dad will sometimes call me by my mom or sisters name, or they will forget how old I am.  But I dont take it personally.  This is the same person that will tell me to put the icecream in the oven instead of the freezer sometimes xD

ETA: Im going ot also add in that im used to my Italian relitives spelling my name completely wrong and ive accepted it.  Theres a 'y' in my name and that letter does not exist in thier alphabet so my Nonna will either replace it with an 'i' or call me the long version of my name that rarely gets used^^

[Sebby6]

When I worked at a bank this woman came in to open an account for her daughter. She filled out the application form and I entered it on the system - double checking spellings etc from the child's birth certificate.
I realised the spelling of the kids middle name was nothing like on the certificate. It wasn't easy to find a face and polity ask why the spellings were different, but I somehow managed. The answer?

"Oh I don't know how to spell it - the lady at the registry office wrote it down"

Maybe you should just call your kid Lisa?

We had a funny one in our family too. My name is Lonnie and my cousin's name is Bonnie. Our grand parents could spell her name right, but not mine lol

[Lorelei Redfern]

well mine don't.. and even i dont know the corect spelling of my real  Legal name.. i end up having to look on my  ids to see how its spelled.    becuae i never go by that name i  go by a nickname from my middle name. i've always  gone by  that name.. so sometimes i dont respond to it.

[kittybethy]

That is odd! No words here!

[Eviecorn]

That's insane.  I'd probably feel a bit like Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles when her parents forget her birthday.

[ZennaBug]

Is your name spelled in an unusual way?  I know some parents take a more common name and just jumble the spelling to make it more "unique" and that could add confusion.  Maybe they always disagreed about the spelling.

Honestly, my name is 4 letters long and consists of 2 "A's" and 2 "N's."  There's not much room for misspelling.  Unless you spell it "Ana" instead of "Anna"