Thursday, October 4, 2012

What's in a Name

My oldest daughter just turned 13.  (Still hard for me to believe I have a teenager!)  For this monumental birthday I wanted to give her something to show her just how proud her father and I are of the young woman she has become.  Something that she would always remember as a sign of our respect for her individuality and strength and a reminder that we will always support her, no matter what.  So, I changed her name.

Let me start at the beginning.

She was named "Julia" after my great grandmother, who was at once one of the strongest and gentlest women I have known.  She was born in the year 1900 and had the most amazing stories to tell.  (And don't even get me started on her baking skills....good golly!)  She lived through some incredible hardships and came out on the other side with her dignity and a sense of humor that could not be beat.  She was fierce and kind and everything I hoped for my daughter.   Yes, "Julia" would be perfect!

When my daughter was 4 years old I began to teach her to write her name.  She was an early reader and I very distinctly remember the conversation we had.  I showed her the letters, one by one  J-U-L-I-A.  She told me I was wrong.  (Not the first time, or the last.)  She said the word I spelled said     /jew-lie-ae/ and that was not her name.  She wrote J-U-L-E-E-A.  I tried explaining to her that I was pretty sure I was right (you know, being part of the team that chose the name and all) but she was insistent.  So, I let it go.  I told myself that she was still young and could spell it any way she wanted to, sure that one day she would get older and see the error in her ways.  (Ah,  I was so young and naive .)  

Today, she is 13 and she still spells her name "Juleea".  It's perfect for her, actually.  She is unique and original and has always known that this spelling is the right one for her.  It took me a few years to figure out what she already knew.  (Sometimes us moms are slow like that.)  But today I am proud to report that this error has been fixed.  She is now legally, officially, and in every way, my Juleea.  Happy Birthday, love!





8 comments:

  1. I hope Juleea had a marvelous birthday. I'm sure your Aunt Julia would be very proud her morden day name sake, Juleea. Enjoyed this post.

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    1. Thank you so much, Paulette. Your comment made my day!

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  2. Happy Birthday Juleea! Daughters are so precious! My own DD is named Julia which we pronounce a lot of the time as 'Jool-ya'. Juleea is so much prettier! Happy un-schooling and thanks for the 'follow'!

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  3. How fun to hear the story of Juleea! Thanks for stopping in at Quirky Vistas and following! I'm your newest follower as well. Hope you'll come by again soon!
    Liz

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  4. You are a wise woman and mother, Christi...I agree, it seems perfect for her! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and following! I have loved my visit to your blog and am following by email now!

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