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"

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

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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”"

One of the most popular sections of the The Perfect Baby Handbook are the tips on finding unexpected sources (such as the Ikea Catalog) for unique baby names on page 6. Here’s another bonus list: Names derived from the annals of motion pictures with single-word titles. (Remember that a source can easily yield both winner […]

» Continue reading "Insider baby-naming secrets, part II: Movie titles"

A perfect baby name predestines success without giving off the stench of banality. At least, that was my theory when I began researching The Perfect Baby Handbook. But I needed proof. Luckily, I stumbled upon “Baby Name Report Card: Beneficial and Harmful Baby Names,” a qualitative analysis based on large-scale surveys conducted over 10 years […]

» Continue reading "Which baby names ensure success? Ask Dr. Mehrabian!"