The Name Game
- July 19th, 2007 10:14 pm
When my parents named me, then intended for me to be called Mandy my whole life. They just named me Amanda because they thought they should name me the proper name for the nickname they had actually intended on calling me. So, until I entered school, I was Mandy. I was really too shy to tell them any differently. So, I let my teachers call me Amanda instead of Mandy. To this day, anyone who isn’t in my family calls me Amanda.
I loathe the name Amanda. Though obviously, it’s what I wish to be called because it’s odd to up and suddenly change your name when you’re over the age of…10?!? However, I hate that I’m called amanda because it wasn’t what I was supposed to be called. And also because it just sucks (note: using the word sucks=super mature). This doesn’t mean I want everyone to up and start calling me mandy or whatever else it is they have in mind.
Don’t you be fooled though, I considered changing my name when I was in elementary school many a time. The running favorite when I was 7 was America. For some strange, totally unpatriotic reason, I longed to be called America. Totally insane. Other names in the running were total hooker handles: Candi, Sassi, Goodi, etc. They all ended with ‘i’. Kelli was also in the running until my father gave me a step-mom named Kelly (with a y mind you, but still…).
Eventually, my mom got tired of me craving a name change. So, she agreed to allow me to change my name to America. I was 8. I had been pleading for a year. I had just gotten a new step-mom and new step-dad. It was a bad year for me. She then started telling me she would take me to get it changed at the Social Security Office. However, something would always secretly interfere with our trip.
I dread the day when Allie suddenly wants to change her name. Probably, to something random and exotic. Or not. 
She’s such a princess.
July 20th, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
I’m sorry you never got called “Mandy”. I always wanted to be called “Meg” and oddly enough all my college friends call me that and not because I told them to, they just decided to from the beginning. I call you “Manda” if that matters, it’s a nice mix of both. I wish you’d changed your name to Goodi though
P.S. - I love and miss that kid like crazy! I hope she wants to change her name to Bambi or CoCo when she gets older haha
shamelesslysassy.com » why didn’t you name me bill cosby???
January 27th, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
[...] Bill Cosby. Especially if you spent a year of your own life attempting to convince your mother to legally change your name to America. The others in the running were hooker handles like: Candi, Goodi, and [...]