Dear Prudence,
My ex-wife and I divorced about three years ago. Since the divorce, she has kept my last name. That has annoyed me since we originally agreed that she’d take back her maiden name. Now she’s pregnant by her new boyfriend. There aren’t any young children of this generation in my family, and I’m worried that she’s going to pass on my family name to her child. I’d want her to change her name back to her maiden name, so how do I approach this conversation? Or is this a petty request?
—Surly Surnames