The Name Game
As I approach my impending engagement, I find myself constantly thinking about my future name- as in, will I change it? My first thought is always no. My name is very unique, which I like. It is also one of the few ways I have a concrete and viewable connection to my hispanic heritage, a connection I don't want to lose.
For the longest time, people have used my last name as a nickname- should I just drop that? can people still call me pedraj if I no longer have that last name? It doesn't help that my very liberal mother waited 20 years to change her last name, insisting that she had her name longer than she knew my father, and once those two things were closer in length, she would consider it.
G has said that he respects whatever decision I make, but he would prefer it if I take his name so we seem more like a family. I considered dropping my middle name and being Liz Pedraja Socha, but that sounds terrible. Also, I love my middle name. A lot. I just hate this whole I have to lose something that is a part of me to show that I am now a member of his family. If we are both members of OUR family, why do I need to make the change?
I think Greg was afraid I would correct our children's friends and insist on being called Ms PEdraja and not Mrs. Socha, but I don't think I would ever do that. Even just having my own ID with my own name, would be enough for me. But then, you run into all the issues with traveling and such, where the names don't match. What happens then?
I clearly still have time to decide on this,b ut it has been something I've been thinking about for a while.
For the longest time, people have used my last name as a nickname- should I just drop that? can people still call me pedraj if I no longer have that last name? It doesn't help that my very liberal mother waited 20 years to change her last name, insisting that she had her name longer than she knew my father, and once those two things were closer in length, she would consider it.
G has said that he respects whatever decision I make, but he would prefer it if I take his name so we seem more like a family. I considered dropping my middle name and being Liz Pedraja Socha, but that sounds terrible. Also, I love my middle name. A lot. I just hate this whole I have to lose something that is a part of me to show that I am now a member of his family. If we are both members of OUR family, why do I need to make the change?
I think Greg was afraid I would correct our children's friends and insist on being called Ms PEdraja and not Mrs. Socha, but I don't think I would ever do that. Even just having my own ID with my own name, would be enough for me. But then, you run into all the issues with traveling and such, where the names don't match. What happens then?
I clearly still have time to decide on this,b ut it has been something I've been thinking about for a while.