Name Suggesting: The Ancient Art of Awkward

If you have a name suggestion for the boy, please feel free to post it in the comment section of this blog. That way we can avoid that awkward moment of silence that occurs in face to face and phone conversations where you suggest a name or two that you think would be great for our new child and we desperately struggle to figure out how to politely lie and tell you that we will consider it.

This might be the weirdest social aspect of being an expectant parent. I respect your opinion, and you might even suggest a name we love, but I'd say roughly 98% of the time it ends in fake laughter or prolonged staring, instead of high fives and excessive rejoicing. It's kind of like when an elderly person farts in public. Nobody wants to be rude, but is it ruder to completely change the subject and pretend like nothing happened? There is no comfortable way out of this situation.

Also, please stop suggesting I name the kid after myself. Surprisingly, during the first 6 months of the wife's pregnancy I have already contemplated this option (for roughly all of 5 seconds). And though I do not wish to pass my name along to the boy, I don't actually have anything against juniors, I just figure why make the kid's social life more confusing then it needs to be. He is already going to have my last name, why add any more expectations that will likely come back to bite me in the ass when junior begins "figuring where things went wrong" in therapy. Besides, I don't want mini-me getting into trouble and somehow blaming that crap on me!