What is in a name...

It is a wonder any child learns their real name.  We named Edy so people would call her Edy.
After being a teacher for 9 years there were at least 20 mix ups with names.  We wait all summer to get that list of who will be in our class, you would be amazed how much anxiety this creates for teachers.  Finally that first week of August we get it.   We are so excited to start labeling everything, cubbies, desks, chairs, supply boxes, book boxes...This list of names is somewhat like Gold, and we love labeling things.  So we start-John, Marjorie, Jeffery, Steven, Jasmine, Lawrence, Louis, Ben, Albert, Jennifer.  We continue to label until our little label makers are burnt out.  Then school starts, the rush of kids and parents come in, they find their cubbies, desks, supply boxes.  But; "wait, my name isn't here"?    Teacher don't you understand?  Do these kids really not recognize there names? Parents are getting angry.  Isn't your name Marjorie"?  The mother looks at me as if I am an idiot the daughter says; "NO my name is Maggie."
Isn't your name Lawrence? NO! My name is LJ.
Isn't your name Albert? NO! My name is Jay
WHAT!!!
Parents if you want your child to be called Maggie...name her Maggie.  If you want your child to be called Jay call him Jay or at least something in the same name family.  This drives your poor teacher crazy.  There is talk about it every year around the coffee maker.  " Damn it I have to relabel everything...I just found out Albert is really Jay".  We all look at each other understandingly knowing nothing can be done.  We take what is on the child's Birth Certificate as the truth, we have to by law!

So this is why Edy is Edy, not Elizabeth or Edith, or Edwina...Edy.  She will be called Edy, she will learn to recognize the name Edy and she will, hopefully, answer to the name Edy...or will she?

Right now her name is Boo, Bunka Boo, GA, Booba.  Since she was born I think we have used her actual name when talking directly to her, maybe 30 times.  When you start becoming fluent in baby talk, you start calling them what they react to.  You start rhyming, anything to get a little smile or an eye twinkle.  At the moment the name Edy or even sing song Edy E! doesn't get a reaction.  GOO GA,  and Booba and Bunka Boo do! At the moment she must think that these ridiculous sounds are her name.
I am willing to bet that I am not the first person to nick name my child with....well baby sounds.  But I wonder...when do they start really learning their names?  Will she know that Edy is her name?

I will start trying to use her name more often and then and only then I will refer to myself as mom and Rock as daddy.  We'll see!