Theres an interesting story about married women changing, or not changing their names, in Saturdays print edition of The Monroe Times.
The story was prompted by the recent wedding of Chelsea Clinton and the still-secret last name the former First Daughter will be using as she settles into married life.
It was a timely story for me. Just last weekend, over a multi-generational game of Kings Corner, my 10-year-old asked why women change their names when they get married, but men dont.
Its a good question. Because thats the way most people do it seemed like a pretty lame reason but it did spark an interesting discussion about what a family name means to a woman.
It was hard for me to change my name when I married 11 years ago. I toyed with the idea of keeping my maiden name. But Im a traditionalist at heart: I knew that I wanted to have at least one child and that I would feel most comfortable if our family unit shared the same last name.
My mother, married for 54 years now, piped in that it also was hard for to give up her name. She resolved the issue by dropping the middle name she was given at birth and using her maiden name in its place.
I also considered, briefly, doing something similar. But since Ive gone by three names for most of my life, throwing in a fourth name seemed a bit over the top.
Ultimately, I took the path of least resistance and changed my name. But I certainly understand why some women would choose another option.
Im interested to hear what readers have to say. Change the name or keep it? Or do you have another solution that worked for you? And men what do you think? Did you have any input into your wifes decision?
The story was prompted by the recent wedding of Chelsea Clinton and the still-secret last name the former First Daughter will be using as she settles into married life.
It was a timely story for me. Just last weekend, over a multi-generational game of Kings Corner, my 10-year-old asked why women change their names when they get married, but men dont.
Its a good question. Because thats the way most people do it seemed like a pretty lame reason but it did spark an interesting discussion about what a family name means to a woman.
It was hard for me to change my name when I married 11 years ago. I toyed with the idea of keeping my maiden name. But Im a traditionalist at heart: I knew that I wanted to have at least one child and that I would feel most comfortable if our family unit shared the same last name.
My mother, married for 54 years now, piped in that it also was hard for to give up her name. She resolved the issue by dropping the middle name she was given at birth and using her maiden name in its place.
I also considered, briefly, doing something similar. But since Ive gone by three names for most of my life, throwing in a fourth name seemed a bit over the top.
Ultimately, I took the path of least resistance and changed my name. But I certainly understand why some women would choose another option.
Im interested to hear what readers have to say. Change the name or keep it? Or do you have another solution that worked for you? And men what do you think? Did you have any input into your wifes decision?
