is ita your actual name?

Ayup. I managed a normal middle name, but my sister has a fragmented first name too (though Yoruba, not Spanish) and a Ghanaian variant of a day name as her middle name.

My parents like crack.

Two words for you, Hec:

Jug. Band.

When I hear the name "Conrad," the first thing that pops to mind is an image of a guy with a battery on his shoulder.

Yep. Robert Conrad. That was my thought, too.

Emmett is an Irish name not a British name. Much less of a kick-me factor. And while he hasn't had any classmates named Emmett, it is a name which is heard around the Bay Area.

I don't know that kids take the time to figure out the etymology of the names, before they start the teasing and beating. I will soften my stance slightly though to add that with your last name, Alistair is actually begging for more of a beating. I might go with Bob, Mike, John, or the like (although I do like Gabriel, with your last name).

Conrad gives me a Bye-Bye, Birdie earworm.

"One last kiss. Oh baby one last kiss...."

You also never know what's going to set people off by the time the child's ready to start school. Katrina was a perfectly ordinary name a few years ago. But now, any Katrina starting kindergarten in the next few years is going to get a lot of grief.

Signed,

If I Had a Dollar for Every "Fred Flintstone" Joke I Suffered As a Kid....

If I Had a Dollar for Every "Fred Flintstone" Joke I Suffered As a Kid....

In my Christian elementary school, I sometimes got teased with "Doubting Thomas."

I sometimes feel so weird not wanting children- it makes so much sense to me not to have any, I am starting to feel like a total freak because I, ah, don't get it. Not looking for comfort or argument, or anything, just all of a sudden... I feel so WEIRD. It comes and goes, it's an almost physical thing.

What's FAR MORE WEIRD, imo, is those people who have children when "it's time", when in actuality, they feel as you do. The coming and going probably is a physical thing. Since when do hormones pay a lot of attention to the brain?

I sometimes feel so weird not wanting children- it makes so much sense to me not to have any, I am starting to feel like a total freak because I, ah, don't get it.

You are not alone. I've known I didn't want kids since I was 15. 22 years ago. I'm the world's biggest waver at cute sprogs being walked on the local trails or waiting in line at the grocery store. But I've never had the desire to have one of my own.

I feel the same way about Brad Pitt, French Provincal furniture, and hamsters, so I figure it's a different strokes for different folks situation.

Nora, a friend of mine wrote about this for Salon way back when, and she still gets notes from perfect strangers.

You are not alone! I talk about having kids, but I'm not actually sure I want any. I love other people's children.