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HelpMia
My daughter has decided to go by Mia. She's heading to middle school next year and plans on introducing herself by it.
Her name is Miriam, the nicknames Mimi and Miri are our. She doesn't like Mim.
I love it and think it suits her personality- bubbly and artistic. My husband doesn't.
We are both respecting her wishes and calling her Mia.
Thoughts?
Her name is Miriam, the nicknames Mimi and Miri are our. She doesn't like Mim.
I love it and think it suits her personality- bubbly and artistic. My husband doesn't.
We are both respecting her wishes and calling her Mia.
Thoughts?
This message was edited 3/31/2025, 1:25 AM
Replies
I think children should be able to choose a nickname if they wish. (As long as it's appropriate of course.)
Miriam is a beautiful name! I generally don't like Mia because it's overwhelmingly common. But if she likes the name, I think she should keep it.
Miriam is a beautiful name! I generally don't like Mia because it's overwhelmingly common. But if she likes the name, I think she should keep it.
You should respect her wishes though personally I prefer Miriam to Mia; I’ve always found it a bit inconsistent and can’t get past the fact it means “mine” in my first language.
I like it. I'm a big fan of simple, three leter names. If I had a daughter, I would have named her Lia.
Hopefully it’s just a phase. It sounds too diminutive for an adult, in my opinion.
I remember wanting to choose a nickname for myself at that age. My friend group was also interested in "secret names" or "code names" for everyone. I think it's a pretty normal part of human development. It's good that you're supportive of it, otherwise she might end up with a complex!
Mia is a cute choice.
Mia is a cute choice.
did you ever read ...
The Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry? In the very first one, Anastasia is in fourth grade and there's a club in her class called the i club. All the girls are in it, and the only requirement seems to be having a name or nn that ends with an i. Traci and Jenni and Cindi ... and Anastasia is mad because she doesn't see a way to make her own name end with i. Nobody suggested Staci, but that would have worked.
But anyway, it was just a fad and never came to anything much.
The Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry? In the very first one, Anastasia is in fourth grade and there's a club in her class called the i club. All the girls are in it, and the only requirement seems to be having a name or nn that ends with an i. Traci and Jenni and Cindi ... and Anastasia is mad because she doesn't see a way to make her own name end with i. Nobody suggested Staci, but that would have worked.
But anyway, it was just a fad and never came to anything much.
How funny!
My name is Scarlett. As a kid, I thought pretty girls' names MUST end in "a" or "y". I'm glad I came out of that phase.
My name is Scarlett. As a kid, I thought pretty girls' names MUST end in "a" or "y". I'm glad I came out of that phase.
Haha I remember that book. Yes she could have been Staci or even Ani?
I just checked, and the first book came out in 1979. I highly doubt it caused the inspiration, but my stepsister (born in the late 80s) has gone by Christi, with that spelling, since before we met. I didn't even realize it was a fad back in the day--what I do remember is making myself remember that she didn't spell her name Christie (short for Christiana, but nobody calls her that except my stepmom/her mom, and maybe her dad). And that she was always upset growing up that gift shops never had anything with her name/spelling on them.
I remember reading those, though not the club bit… however that may explain why I briefly (and unsuccessfully) tried to go by Chrisi lol.
I suppose “Christi” might have worked?
Christi and variations were really common in Australia at that point, so I think I wanted something different!
I am curious to see whether this will stick or not. I've seen it go both ways.
I went by Fanny (pronounced the French way, also I didn’t grow up in the anglosphere) as a tween/teen, though it’s a nickname I used in school exclusively to distinguish myself from the three other girls with my name). I dropped it later on, and never asked my parents or family to use it (they suggested it because apparently there’s a Francesca up my family tree who went by Fanny) though some of my friends from middle school plus a few people who know me through them still call me that.
I didn't read those! I think the only Lois Lowry I read was The Giver. The "i club" sounds like something my friends and I would have done - I even went through a phase of giving myself an "i name"! It definitely was a fad, but a wholesome one.
In the book, the i club was planning to get t-shirts made up with their i-names on them. Anastasia was doubly annoyed because not only did she not have an i name but also her own name was so long she said that if she ever got it on a t-shirt it would run clear into her armpits.
I have a strong-willed child and the one thing i've learned is to let her have as much freedom as possible. Otherwise everything would be a battle of wills.
This message was edited 3/31/2025, 6:18 AM
While Mia isn’t my favorite name, I think it’s great that she made her own choice of a nickname. My nickname is Kate, and when I started middle school, I thought I would switch to my full name, Katherine. I didn’t, because of a couple of reasons, and a small part of me still regrets it.
I hate Mia, in theory. But it's a very common name these days for kids and makes sense as a NN for Miriam, so functionally, it seems like a good choice for her.
Picking a new nickname seems like a reasonable way for a preteen to assert identity. Even if my kid picked something I hated, I would encourage it because I'd be counting my blessings they were rebelling in such a mild way.
Picking a new nickname seems like a reasonable way for a preteen to assert identity. Even if my kid picked something I hated, I would encourage it because I'd be counting my blessings they were rebelling in such a mild way.
Mia is a perfectly fine nickname for Miriam, imo. And it’s up to her what name she goes by, anyway.