So when something like a dead dictator trends on Twitter, I tend to feel the need to check out what’s going on. It turns out a couple in the US has a son named Adolph Hitler, and a daughter whose middle names are Aryan Nation and child services has removed the children from their home.
Now I agree, this seems a heavy burden to place on a child, and for certain these people are not in their right minds, as far as I am concerned. I have a hard time dealing with anyone who is of a racist mind, but I would never say that they shouldn’t have children, nor would I say that they shouldn’t be allowed to pass their beliefs on to their children, as skewed as they may be.
If we are going to start taking kids away for their parents embarrassing them or giving them ridiculous names, child services is going to be busy.
Growing up, I had a neighbour whose kids were named Buffy and Fawn. I thought they were crazy, but I never thought they were bad parents. My daughter’s name is Siobhan Annalise Rasmussen, the poor kid won’t be able to spell her name till she’s a teenager, but that doesn’t make me a bad mom. Siobhan is a Gaelic name and my mother is Irish. Her name has heritage, so does Adolph Hitler.
I actually worked for Adolph Hitler’s godson when I was 18. His name was also Adolph. No-one felt the need to remove him from his parent’s custody.
I’m not saying that I think these parents are doing their child any favours, and they are certainly going to make things more difficult for him in the long run, but who is to say it will hold him back any further than someone whose parents felt it would be funny if their named rhymed with their twin sibling, or say a parent who thought the name Miley was super cool.
I suppose this is why New Zealand has adopted a new law stating that people cannot give their babies weird names.
I feel badly for little Adolph Hitler Campbell, but for all I know, he may grow to love his name, he may even do something great, changing the way we see the name Adolph forever.
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