What’s In A Name?
Let’s talk about a weird (and personal) topic. I’ve been trying to figure out how to draft this post, and I even contemplated not posting about the given topic…. which would have been slightly comical on my end, watching readers trying to figure out what (or rather, WHO) I’m talking about. I’ll just go ahead and put this out into the universe to clear any confusion- Kalyn (pronounced kay-lynn), my husband, is no longer Kalyn. You’re probably thinking “uhhh, what?”… that’s definitely been the common response. He legally changed his name. Long story short- starting now, when I refer to my husband on the blog, I’ll be calling him by his new name, Emmett. No, I didn’t get another husband, and even though it’s still incredibly weird- I totally support him in this decision. That brings me to the next question, what’s in a name?Â
Everyone asks him why. Why in the world would you go to the extreme of changing your name?! I’ll recite his answer to every single person… “because if you dislike something you are capable of changing, why not change it?” Though it really needs no explanation, the past few decades he’s been called “Mrs. Gibson” on the phone, has answered spelling questions more times than I can count, and has spent a ton of precious time explaining his unique name. Regardless of his reasoning, I’m actually impressed with his rather ballsy move to do something about a part of his identity that bothered him.
Yes, it will be extremely difficult for me to actually call him by his new name. After all, we’ve been dating our entire dating lives… since the young age of 15. Nonetheless, I’m going to give it my best shot because that’s what he prefers! I’m also proud of him for choosing a name that is special to him and represents a part of his family. Obviously, I loved his name before, and am all about unique gender neutral names, but what I love most is the moral of this story- you have the control to make yourself happy!
So, without further ado, I’m publicly introducing my husband, as Emmett. I wanted to make sure you guys were in the know and weren’t totally shocked when I type “Emmett and I will be renovating…” and you’re thinking, “new home, new husband?!!”. If you’re interested in his voice and personality, you can read his post on landscaping right here!
Have any of you changed your name or know people who have done the same? I was surprised to learn it’s more common than I expected.
image: photography by greenbird