When my daughter was born we preferred to take traditional Anglo names. Hence the first name of Mary. Her middle name is actually French, but is an amalgam of many traditional names that over time have been shortened in our society. Annisabelle. But what I found fascinating, just as with our son, was that from the moment of birth, regardless of what the children�s intended names were, our cornucopia of endearments always prevailed. Mary endured the name �Baby Mary� until she was about three, then became �Mary-Anne� for a brief period, then evolved into �Miss M.� Our son, whose Christian name is William Richard, from the seconds he was born became �Willem.� (or in gushing moments of adoration, �Willem-Dillum.� And over time, with moments of �Will, William, Wilbur (how cruel), he has comfortably and rather permanently nestled into Willem. I think what you�ll find is that with such a beautiful name as Elizabeth, it will always prevail. But no matter how you try, society, relatives, and Elizabeth�s friends will do some on-the-spot editing and whittle down her name to Beth. And if this is your first child, I�d suggest that when the moment comes when there�s laundry on the floor, water spilling out of the tub, a roast burning in the oven, a cat screaming from within the tumble dryer, and a couple of Jehovah Witnesses knocking at your door, you might find it requires the last breath of your life to utter the monosyllabic name of �Beth,� and you�ll quickly find your hubby�s slightly lazier approach to her name was actually a blessing in disguise!
Congratulations on your pending arrival! Fr. Bill
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