Dear Prudence,
My wife and I are new grandparents. The parents are in their late 30s with this baby probably being their first and only. The name of the baby is concerning and upsetting to me and my wife. To protect our children, I will describe the name, not provide the actual name selected.
The first name is a mixture of each parent’s maternal grandmother, which we do not care for, but have bigger concerns for the child on account of the middle and last name. The middle name is the name of the monster demigod, which was a character in a film released in 2021. The movie was part of a popular comedy, action-themed movie franchise, which began in 1984. The last name of the baby is a 10-letter combination of our daughter’s and son-in-law’s surnames, which, my guess, to them represents their union with the child. This combined name is difficult to pronounce, and spell whereas each parent’s name is short, and easily understood. Neither my daughter nor son-in-law are changing their given surnames, so this family unit will have three last names.
I totally understand that it is the right of the parents to name their child and as grandparents, we must both respect and stay out of their decision. Nonetheless, I do not understand how a parent can select as a middle name for their child a monster demigod because my son-in-law liked the movie. How does one explain to a child that his name was derived from a monster in a movie? Regarding the last name, if the new combined parents’ name was given to the child, it seems to me that the parents should change their last names as well. Most upsetting is that both the middle and last names will leave the child open to ridicule. We have not indicated our concerns to the parents as of yet.
—Worried About Our Grandchild