I’m pregnant and have a unique baby name idea for my daughter, but other parents think I’m crazy
- Mum from Melbourne wants to name her daughter ‘Smokie’
- Thousands of parents warned her about the ‘strange’ name
A mother has been criticized for the ‘strange’ name she wants to give her baby.
The Melbourne mother has set her sights on ‘Smokie’ as a first name for her daughter and can’t understand why her online community is against it.
She “keeps coming back to the name” because the mother loves unusual names and she has only heard the name “Smokie” once before.
The mother began to doubt herself after “everyone” in her life discouraged her from using it, and one even warned her not to let her “crazy whim be a burden and abuse to the poor child.”
“I’m so in love with the name, I just can’t change my mind,” she said.
A Melbourne mother has set her sights on ‘Smokie’ as a first name for her daughter and can’t understand why her community has shunned it
After negative reactions from people in her life, the Melbourne woman shared her dilemma on a popular parenting forum and asked for advice.
“Is the name ‘Smokie’ really such a bad idea for a girl’s name?” she asked.
“I keep coming back to that name and everyone keeps telling me it’s a no-go, but I’m so in love with the name I can’t change my mind… but I don’t want to make a mistake with the name.”
She revealed that the name fits particularly well with a family name.
“I’m thinking of naming my little girl Smokie-Marie. Marie is after my sister, so I want that as a full name, and I give her my other sister’s name as a middle name.
“The name flows together nicely for me, but I don’t want to fail my child with a name that not everyone agrees on!”
The mother asked the online community if they were aware of the name being used in formal situations.
“Anyone else named ‘Smokie’ for a baby other than a pet name?” Honestly I heard it one day and loved it. I don’t like common names, I like names no one else has.’
The mother began to doubt herself after “everyone” in her life discouraged her from using it, and one even warned her not to let her “crazy whim be a burden and abuse to the poor child.”
Parents were quick to compare the name to pets, machines, and smoking breaks.
“Smokie is the nickname of a machine that produces too much smoke. A train, a tractor, a car with a bad exhaust,’ someone said.
It is also used as a name for gray-colored pets. Then there’s the Australian slang, Smoko, short break from work traditionally used for smoking,” they added.
‘Smokie is a name for a dog, cat or rabbit. Not a human child who has to grow up and apply for a job,” said another.
Some even tried to put the name into perspective.
“Remember, you’re not just naming a baby, you’re naming a schoolchild, a young professional, an adult. Are they being bullied on the playground? Will they be hired and taken seriously?’ wrote a mother.
She added, “Don’t let your insane whim be a burden and abuse for the rest of your poor child’s life.”
But one mother revealed that despite everyone’s opinion, the government may not allow her to name her child “Smokie.”
“It doesn’t matter if you want to name your child Smokie, or Durrie, or Ciggy — the registry office probably just won’t allow it.”