Whats in a name?

Names are a very important thing to me. So much so that I didn't change my name when I got married. When I was a teenager, I went through some pretty major life changes, and I switched from using my middle name to using my first name. And, actually, I prefer the shortened form of my first name to using the whole name. I think the name that you choose to represent yourself with, whether a first name, middle name, or nickname is very important. Therefore, when people randomly change your name, it is annoying because that name is a part of you. That said, I do often enjoy when someone I am very close to (my husband and closest friends) makes up a name that only they can call me, or allows me to call them a different version of their own name as a token of our relationship. I think if someone chooses to call you a name you don't like, and continues to do so when you ask them not to, then they're being very rude.

My name is Amanda Claire, although pretty much all my friends call me "Manda", which I don't mind at all! The name that I really hate is "Mandy".. ARGH!! It's a really whiney name that people only use when they want something from me! I think it's only polite to use someone's full name until they say otherwise! x

One of my son's name is Daniel Reid _______ . I HATE the name Daniel...because people call them Dan, Danny, Daniel, and Dan the man. Luckily, people just call him Daniel...but I have a strange tradition of calling my sons (but the baby) by their middle names. We were discussing Reid's name the other night and he told his father that only I can call him Reid but everyone else can call him Daniel. Isn't he cute?

My name is David - I have always been a David and really detest it when someone calls me Dave or worse still Dai (the welsh shortening of David). I don't care if people think it's ignorant but I refuse to acknowledge people who do shorten my name. I remeber being a very small boy and going up on stage at a pantomime (Very British tradition - apologies to those who do not know what pantomime is). A famous welsh actor of that time was asking all the children their names. He got to me, asked my name and I replied David. He asked me if he could call me Dai and I answered No, my mother wouldn't like it. Everyone thought that was really funny (well except my mum) but even at the age of about 4, I was not going to be called Dai and no one who knows me now dares abbreviate my name