I just thought they liked to be called Kiwis

Listen to this article

Last week a judge in New Zealand took a stand against parents who choose to name their children with sentences.

The ink-eating moniker Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii was bestowed on a New Zealand girl at birth, until Judge Rob Murfitt stepped in and made the girl, now 9, a ward of the court so her name could be changed.

“The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child’s parents have shown in choosing this name,” wrote Murfitt. “It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.”

http://abcnews.go.com/WaterCooler/wireStory?id=5439648

As someone with a name that lends itself to the occasional ribbing, I sympathize with the court and the girl, but I’m also a sucker for true creativity. Whether a child’s name is the best outlet for exercising the muscles in the right side of the brain? I don’t know.

I’m sure we all know people who would prefer to be called something else and those who have applied to legally do so. For better or worse, Talula was stuck with the name her parents gave her, so why not go with it, at least until she could apply to change it herself.

Besides, I don’t see judges in California banging down the doors of celebrities who christen their kids with Jermajesty, Audio Science, Pilot Inspektor, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.