Deciding on the name for our family dog took longer than it took my kids to talk me into getting him in the first place. Even then, we failed miserably, not considering that the dog would share our last name. I learned this the hard way at the vet for the first time when the nurse called Woody for our appointment.
Woody Allen. Yup.
Not. On. Purpose. And this was a year ago when Woody Allen (the person) was involved in some delicate family matters, quite publicly.
So imagine the daunting task of naming a person! It’s a pretty big deal—a name is forever. So, when my parents set about on deciding to have eight children, one would think that they would already have several names picked out, special names that reminded them of the most important people in their lives. And they did. Well, mostly.
We go by numbers, the eight of us. I am number two, yup. Number two. It’s always a great way to be introduced. Anyway, my parents named numbers 3-7 after family members, aunts, uncles and other beloved family members. What happened to #1,#2 and #8?
My parents named their first born child after a waitress who served them ONE time! They never saw her again and they don’t even know her last name. Those must have been some eggs, because that is where Molly got her name. After a magical waitress, naming number 2 (me) after my dad’s ex-girlfriend was a real step in the right direction. Yes, Maggie was one of my dads girlfriends and no, my mom didn't mind (If you have met my mom, you would know she is the most secure person on the planet). My mom used to say “Maggie was very nice, but she was A LOT older than your Dad. I don't think she is with us anymore.” Fun story to tell as an icebreaker at gatherings.
After number one and number two, my parents all of a sudden, went all main stream and the next five kids were named after family members. Then came Tess, number eight. As you can imagine my parents were exhausted by the time Tess came around, having eight kids ages fifteen and younger. They literally picked the next name they heard. Our neighbors chocolate lab Tess. Perfect. They had named all of us.
How'd you get your name?
