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HelpMy Tallulah confession
in reply to a message by Lily8
I used to really hate Tallulah. Then, one of my best friends announced she was naming her daughter Talula.
Oh, how I cringed. I was so turned off, I risked our friendship by telling her exactly what I thought of the name. (In my experience, people who aren't namenerds don't want honest opinions about names if those opinions are negative.) I called it borderline ridiculous, over-the-top, misspelled--I was right about this one--and celebrity-trendy. I said she'd be teased, that her teachers and eventually her bosses would never take her seriously, that her name would induce eye-rolling and giggles everywhere she went...I was so rude I'm ashamed of myself now.
My friend forgave me, ignored me, and today, Talula is a happy little girl who loves her name. She's never been teased for her name, and she's a favorite of her teachers and coaches. I think I was dead wrong. It's not a hard name to grow up with, and I don't think it will cause Talula problems in adulthood, either. I've come to think that, because Tallulah is familiar and has multiple associaions (Falls, River, Bankhead, Willis), it strikes many people as unusual, maybe a little strange, definitely quirky, but not freakishly weird or crazy. To me, that adds up to a usable name, perhaps not one I'd ever choose myself, but still a perfectly okay option. Yes, some people she'll meet will hate it and think it's ridiculous or ugly, but that's true of any name, and I think in Tallulah's case those people are in a shrinking minority. That's an important distinction, imo.
I asked my friend if she has any regrets, and she only regrets the spelling she chose. She says the most frequent question she gets about the name is about Tallulah Falls/Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. Talula hates all nicknames, but her family sometimes calls her Lu or Lula. Her full name is Talula Kathryn.
Oh, how I cringed. I was so turned off, I risked our friendship by telling her exactly what I thought of the name. (In my experience, people who aren't namenerds don't want honest opinions about names if those opinions are negative.) I called it borderline ridiculous, over-the-top, misspelled--I was right about this one--and celebrity-trendy. I said she'd be teased, that her teachers and eventually her bosses would never take her seriously, that her name would induce eye-rolling and giggles everywhere she went...I was so rude I'm ashamed of myself now.
My friend forgave me, ignored me, and today, Talula is a happy little girl who loves her name. She's never been teased for her name, and she's a favorite of her teachers and coaches. I think I was dead wrong. It's not a hard name to grow up with, and I don't think it will cause Talula problems in adulthood, either. I've come to think that, because Tallulah is familiar and has multiple associaions (Falls, River, Bankhead, Willis), it strikes many people as unusual, maybe a little strange, definitely quirky, but not freakishly weird or crazy. To me, that adds up to a usable name, perhaps not one I'd ever choose myself, but still a perfectly okay option. Yes, some people she'll meet will hate it and think it's ridiculous or ugly, but that's true of any name, and I think in Tallulah's case those people are in a shrinking minority. That's an important distinction, imo.
I asked my friend if she has any regrets, and she only regrets the spelling she chose. She says the most frequent question she gets about the name is about Tallulah Falls/Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. Talula hates all nicknames, but her family sometimes calls her Lu or Lula. Her full name is Talula Kathryn.
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