Sometimes it feels like every time you turn around, there's another set of parents set on ruining their child's life just to be cool. But have heart, there's good news in crazy land! Remember the parents who decided to let the Internet name their baby girl, even setting up a website, NameMyDaughter.com, where folks could enter their favorite monikers?
The couple's little girl is here! And guess what they named her!
Amelia Savannah Joy McLaughlin.
Which is not what the Internet suggested. Turns out Cthulhu All-Spark was the winning name, but the Canadian couple decided to go with giving their daughter a normal life instead of being those cool parents who let the Internet name their kid.
Who just breathed a giant sigh of relief? Welcome to the club -- it's full of normal parents who have a lick of common sense.
Granted, this couple said from the start that they'd have the final say, so we always held out hope for a happy ending. As dad Stephen put it on his site:
Unfortunately internet I know better than to trust you. We will ultimately be making the final decision, Alas my daughter shall not be named WackyTaco692. Sorry guys the wife wouldn't go for a free for all.
But we've seen couples go to some absurd lengths to be "cool," at the cost of their child's happiness (see also: Game of Thrones baby trend). There was always the risk that these parents would do what the Internet hoped they'd do ... and this poor kid would be saddled with a ridiculous name for the rest of her life (or until she hit adulthood and pulled together the funds to make a name change).
The Internet has proven a dangerous animal for parents. On the one hand, there is certainly a reason to turn to the interwebs when it comes time to name a baby. Like a baby name book on steroids, it's where you can find ideas for awesome winter-themed names or lovely wine-themed names (yes, really, oenophiles, your day has been made).
And crowd sourcing on the Internet can be a godsend for parents who are looking not just to name a baby, but to find other parents who can give them tips on struggles from how to get that breastfed baby to finally take a bottle to how to actually have that natural birth in the hospital.
The Internet has taken much of the loneliness out of parenthood. That's a good thing! We need to stick together to raise kids in this global village.
On the other hand, the Internet has also given parents room to abdicate their important role as their children's, well, parents!
From letting the Internet name their baby to letting their kids loose on the Internet to learn about the facts of life from strangers instead of dear old Mom and Dad, too many parents are forgetting that childhood is fleeting. We only get 18 years with these kids -- give or take -- and it's up to us to make sure they count, that we really put in the hard work and make the best choices for our kids.
So, by all means, turn to the Internet for help as a parent. Ask for naming ideas or suggestions on great bottle nipples. But at the end of the day, remember, as this couple did, who your child depends on. It's not the Internet.
What do you make of this whole "name my baby" trend? Do you crowd source for parenting advice on the Internet?
Image via danibabil08/Flickr