While Canada famously has a genderless child, Australia appears to have a nameless one.
If you and your partner reached a stalemate when it came to naming your baby, spare a thought for a two-year-old girl who was named by the Family Court of Australia because her parents couldn't agree on what to call her.
The parents' relationship reportedly broke down before her birth could be registered, leading each parent to call her by a different name.
Though the child could ultimately choose her own name, Justice Colin Forrest decided that the mother could choose, and legally register the girl's first name since she'd already adopted her father's surname. He was also asked to determine the custody arrangements for her and her brother after the parents split.
"I am drawn to the conclusion that the father's opposition to the name (chosen by the mother) is yet another example of his determination to control the mother and her parenting of these two children," Justice Forrest said.
Even though the mother offered to hyphenate the names as a compromise, the father vehemently opposed the suggestion, claiming the mother's choice was blasphemous in Islam.
An imam gave evidence claiming there was nothing offensive about the mother's chosen name, though he couldn't be sure about the father's choice because he did not know its meaning.
Perhaps they could have agreed on this name? Petty Spite. You must admit, it does have a ring to it...
Printer-friendly version