Ali Condon
A mum has shared her plans to change her baby daughter's unusual name to something more simple after growing frustrated at people struggling to pronounce it.
Posting anonymously about her baby name woes, the mum revealed that she had originally decided to name her child Aerin, explaining that she had always wanted a "very unique name" for her little girl.
However, the unnamed mum soon realised she made a grave mistake, and is now pulling her hair out from having to explain the pronunciation and spelling to everyone she meets.
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Posting about her predicament to Reddit, the frustrated mum explained: "My baby is four months and since I returned to work a month ago, I’ve been wanting to change her name.
"I need to constantly spell it out or clarify the name [and] even if I don’t, people ask for the pronunciation."
She explained that she had originally chosen the name Aerin for her daughter because: "I wanted a very unique name. Like Aerin Lauder. Also like that it starts with an A and love how it looks written.
But I don’t really like how it sounds and that people think it’s Erin. Also don’t like that it’s considered a unisex name and confused with Aaron."
The mother eventually got so sick of the confusion that she decided it might be time for a name change, and explained that she's considering changing her daughter from Aerin to either Clara, Madeline, or Sophia.
She continued: "I wanted a super unique and modern name because my name is very common. Now just want a recognisable but not so common name."
Concluding her post, the mum asked her fellow Redditors whether she should keep the name Aerin for her daughter, or change it to Clara.
While users tried to help out the mum with her crisis, many were admittedly a bit confused.
"You hate the name Erin but named your kid Aerin which is identical but with extra steps? This can’t be real," commented one Redditor.
Another pointed out: "It seems very odd to choose a name that you openly say yourself you 'don’t really like how it sounds' - that makes no sense? It also seems weird to want a 'very unique' name but be upset that people can’t pronounce/spell it."
Meanwhile, others were engaged in a debate over whether changing a four-month-old girl's name was the right decision.
"I know it is common for post-partum mamas to go through a feeling of discomfort about their name choice," sympathised one user. "I think you should stay with Aerin.
"I understand that you're frustrated that people don't know which name you're talking about, but isn't that the beauty of unique names, that not many people have heard of it before?"
Another agreed: "Aerin is nice and I like the spelling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before which is cool. I say keep it and let her decide when she’s older if she likes it or not."
On the other hand, fellow mums backed the mum's decision to change her daughter's name,
"As someone who changed their child’s name due to it constantly being mispronounced, I say change it!" read one supportive comment. "I tried to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal, but if you yourself are starting to become irritated with it, imagine how the child will feel dealing with it their whole life. Clara is a beautiful name too!"
A second added: "My kid is three and I wish I had just changed it when I had doubts at four months. Now it’s too late and I’m sad when my kid has to explain it all the time. I feel I messed up."
Before she makes up her mind once and for all, some users were eager to warn the mum that changing a child's name would come with some long-term affects that she ought to consider.
"As someone who’s name was changed as a child please consider the long term affects," urged one user. "I was almost denied a passport and almost missed a trip because of the name change. Now I am waiting for a passport renewal and not surprisingly there was a problem verifying my identity."
And another penned: "I like both names, but please keep in mind this will be a hassle for her whenever she has to fill out government/credit card/legal paperwork. Usually they ask for all names you have gone by in the past."
Is it worth the hassle in the end, or should this mum stick to her daughter's original name after all?