Nickname or Full Name?
I am a HUGE nickname fan, always have been, always will be. I think each of my kids have at LEAST 5-6 nicknames and I rotate calling them different ones all the time which definitely causes a lot of confusion for people who are just getting to know our family.
I have never really thought twice about nicknames being an issue, as my kids get older. I just assume that they will eventually outgrow them, as my two older kids have, and move on continuing to go by their full first name. Boy was I wrong!
Jeremiah, our middle son, actually goes by the name, ‘Miah’. We’ve called him that since the day we adopted him simply for convenience’s sake. It’s much easier to yell out across the park, “MIAH!!!!”, than it is to scream a four syllable name that will probably get lost in translation being that it’s so long.
When Miah started Pre-K, I specifically asked him if he was ready to start telling his new friends and teachers that his name was Jeremiah. Much to my surprise, he insisted that he continue to be called, ‘Miah’. I was perfectly fine with his choice and sent him off to school writing his name as, ‘Miah’, on all his school papers and important documents.
The problem with this little nickname issue lies in the fact that he is now beginning to learn how to spell and write his name. A few weeks ago, I met with his teacher who told me that he struggles a bit with his letters and the correct order in which to write them. She was concerned that if we didn’t switch him back to his full name soon, then he would become even more confused when we did. I have mixed feeling about this. I feel like switching him NOW, when he’s already a little confused and still learning will definitely confuse him more. I think if I wait until he gets the hang of his letters and placement, to the point where he feel comfortable writing his name and understanding his letter sounds, the switch will be a breeze. He already KNOWS that his full name is Jeremiah, so teaching him four more letters at the beginning of his name wouldn’t be a big deal, would it?
I’d love to hear feedback on this matter. Any teachers out there, or mothers of children who were in this same situation have any good points to make? I want to make sure I do the best thing for Miah.
I think Miah will be fine…I mean, he is a pretty smart cookie, an oreo cookie:) But seriously, he will be able to write his full name when he is ready too. Do you really think he wants to HAVE to write his full name out right now? NO WAY! That is too much work, especially when the park across the street is calling his name!
Can he visually recognize his full name? If he can, great! Then writing of his full name will come when he wants to. We (teachers) don’t care if the kids write their nickname or full name, we just a name
If he cannot, then this would be the place to start, recognizing visually his first full name. You could try practicing at home writing his full name every now and again, then you will know that he has the practice to write his full name and the leave the choice up to him if he wants to write his full or nickname.
thanks for the comments!
amber, i know he’ll be fine. i was just surprised that his teacher thought it was big enuf of an issue to address it.
toni, thanks for the insight. i’ll work on having him recognize his full name. maybe i’ll make a plaque or something for the kitchen and we can talk about it over dinner every night. good idea!