i just thinks names are important.. and i hate when kids get nicknames impossed on them.. something suitable for a 2 year old (benjie!) get hung on kid-- and when he's in college, 6 foot tall, he is still benjie..

its not a nyc thing.. its purely me! i put thought into my kids names.. i spent most of my son's childhood fighting Ben, Benny, Benjie, et al.. and keeping him Benjamin.. i still call him Benjamin.. but he has used Ben. (his name, his choice!)
my (extended) family is rife with people who have a given name (never used!) and two or more nicknames! i had trouble keeping track of who was who! Elizabeth, was always called Annabelle, except when she was called Pidge! (short for pidgeon.. no, not a misspelling, her last name.. )


my other obsession