Back to Katie

We named our youngest daughter Katherine. One of my favorite names. I love its old world elegance. It's thought to originate from the Greek word "katharos" for "pure." It's a name that's been around since the third century. Meaning aside, I love the way it rolls off the tongue. It's a classy name. And it's versatile. It can be Kate or Kathy or Kat or Katie.

We called our Katherine Katie. She was Katie for almost 5 years. After a bad experience at the Most Stinky Stupidhead Preschool (MSSP), we put her at another school where she introduced herself as Katherine and said she wanted to be Katherine from now on.

I tried to make the switch. I always referred to her as Katherine around school people and friends and here on my blog. Tim never made the switch and Caroline, well, she was the only one who was able to stay consistent and always call her sister Katherine.

Katie switched schools again this year. She loved Kindergarten last year but Caroline was going to a new school and Katie decided she wanted to go to the new school, too. Given that it was going to be just about impossible juggling two kids at two schools that had different start and end times and were twenty miles and four freeways apart we let Katie switch, too.

At some point last fall she began telling the teacher she wanted to be called Katie. She signed Katie on all her work. When Caroline called her Katherine in the schoolyard Katie's friends asked who Katherine was. Finally, Katie told me she wanted to be Katie again.

So she's Katie again.

Although last week she mentioned she might like to be called Kate.

Do your kids ever ask you to call them something different? Or, do they go by something different in school than at home?