Everyone loves a clairvoyant. Especially when she predicts the future with as much bluster and certainty as Penelope Trunk, who pens a syndicated business column called the “Brazen Careerist”—and focuses her forecasting on one’s own beloved child. Trunk’s most recent projection, “What Generation Z will be like at work,” is irresistible. In a nutshell, it […]

» Continue reading "Why your baby will grow up to be a Scary Information Glutton"

Whatever else you think about Michael Jackson, you must admit that he was wildly creative—except when it came to naming his offspring. As the Washington Post notes: Jackson is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II. (emphasis c/o Google News) What will happen to […]

» Continue reading "So many Michaels, so many Jacksons"

Readers of this blog have made one thing clear: They love insights into the risky business of naming newborns. This isn’t surprising. While writing The Perfect Baby Handbook, I came to understand how the pressure to select an extraordinary baby name can unhinge a well-balanced adult to the point where he or she considers “Aloysius […]

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In this thoughtful video, one African-American expresses her conflicted feelings about names such as Bonquisha, Laquitta, and Dayquona—while ripping paper into shreds: Related Posts: • Perfect baby names: Eighmee. vs Amy • Which baby names ensure success? Ask Dr. Mehrabian! • Insider baby-naming secrets—part I

» Continue reading "Black lady soberly laments “ghetto baby names”"

Back from Canada. The staff at Perfect Baby Handbook HQ on Montague Street greeted me with a sign that read: “Welcome home, Dhale!”—a sly reference to the time I tried to convince my high school teachers to spell my first name with an “h.” (“Dale” was too boring, I felt and I’d just watched a […]

» Continue reading "Perfect baby names: “Eighmee” vs. “Amy”"