Godly Right to Name First-Born Son Spyridon

Women sacrifice their body for about forty weeks of their life per child, I think the least men can do is keep their mouth closed if a woman decides she wants to choose the name of her child.

Nicholas really... 'barbaric' eastern European names, 'Godly right' you sound like an arrogant, pompous ass. I hope your attitude toward your wife's culture changes quickly, your unborn child is first of all an American, secondly of Belarusian and Crete descent. Embrace both cultures and teach your child to be proud of his or her heritage...all of it. Most of all love your child and give the child a name that will not be controversial and leave the child open to be considered odd in any American neighborhood leading to being laughed at, humiliated or bullied. If you have a son name him Michael Spyridon Soukeras. As an adult he may chose to be Michael or M. Spyridon or M.S. or some other name but if your child is a son he will honor your father by carrying on the family surname no matter what first name he has or uses.

#TeamSpyridon

Bottom line with your relationship, if both of you aren't truly happy then just don't do it. You NEED to come to a compromise with your wife, dude. Example: My significant other loved the name Madison and the nickname Maddie, I thought it was too common. I liked the name Madeline because of my favorite story and favorite cookie, but it reminded him of an ex. We compromised and came up with Matinee. He can still call her "Matti" and Matinee is film inspired (we own a film company together). We are both over the moon about it. So, if you don't like Michael and she doesn't like Spyridon, guess what? Both of them go. Nobody in the relationship has say over the other because of gender or tradition. Either come to a compromise on how you can use both names or pick a different one :)

This baby you are having belongs equally to both families. It doesn't matter that she carried it or he is head of the household with "godly right"s. It sounds more like a "dictatorship" when you use such statements to hold your own wishes over your wife. I have no worries about the name being archaic- old names that are still in use have stood the test of time for a reason. I understand the need of some men to name their children after relatives. Females share this need. I get that your traditions prefer first born males to be named after their grandfather. Your wife may have traditions too that shouldn't be ignored just because you are a man so therefore hers are secondary. Sorry, I believe in husbands and wives being considerate of each other and taking each others wishes into account before all decisions. I am not saying your wife isn't doing the same thing. The baby should be named by its parents, not social media petitions, after they have stopped believing themselves to be right and trying to get their way. If your wife really has conceded to name the baby according to your wishes then it seems she is the more willing to compromise than you. Granting her the rights to baby's middle name or naming a girl is a great compromise...for you, given you obviously aren't worried about what to name a girl and so long as you get the boy's first name as you like it, middle name doesn't matter. Really, both of you work it out as adults and stop trying to get one over on one another. This is your child. (Also, the whole thing about how she grew up in an area subjected to barbaric names??? I seriously hope you aren't talking about her own heritage, because that is very insulting. You aren't better than her. And what you are doing doesn't prove how democratic you are). I am sorry, this just annoyed me. I suppose it was meant to be funny, but...I guess my sense of humour isn't switched on. Congratulations on the baby, hope it works out for the both of you in a way that your a

I really hope that if the baby will be a boy, when he grows up he will not hate his name. Whichever you will pick. I also hope that he will understand the reason why you let the world decide his name. In any case I choose not to vote and just to comment. Good luck to all three of you.

if you really want to follow the "laws of the greek orthodox church", you will know that the parents don't choose the name - that is the responsibility of the godparents, and strictly speaking the parents have to accept what the godparents choose on the day of the baptism. The vast majority of greek families, living in greece, simply call the child "baby" until the day of the baptism. I'd have throught you have more important things to worry about, and am surprised that greek americans are making the mistake of many native greek families and allowing this archaic tradition to cause a family argument...even before the baby is born. I know so many greek families that have long-term bad feelings for each other due to this tradition...let it go and let your family be happy...dump the tradition and go for a neutral name that you just LIKE.

You are so traditional and so familiar with the laws of the greek orthodox church that you say you want to abide by that you have forgotten that its not the parents that choose the name...its the godparents, and the name isn't given until the day of the baptism, so until then the child is called baby. So, save you and your family this argument and let the future godparents think about it once the baby is born. For goodness sake, even native greeks living in greece, who live the daily traditions of greek life are slowly abandoning this very troublesome tradition.

Common American/Anglo-saxon/Christian names are too commonplace and boring. How many million people are named Michael, Christopher, Luke, John...etc.....boring. While my name isn't as rare as Spyridon, I loved the fact that I only met one other person named Donovan before I turned 20 years old, and even since (I am now in my 40's) I have only met or even heard of relatively few. I appreciated it so much that when it came to naming my second son I chose the name Daylan. My first son I went the traditional route with Christopher because I was naming him after my younger brother who is very special to me. I also feel that the final say in the first born son should lean towards the father. He is willing to accept his wife's choice in naming a daughter and If he gets his wish in naming his first son then he will let her name the second son.

Spyridon is so much better than Michael!

I think you two should compromise. If you combine Michael and Spyridon, you end up with "MEGATRON." If that doesn't work, then honestly, ....name him "Spyridon Michael Soukeras." The name he likes the most is the one that'll stick with him his whole life. I know plenty of people who go by their middle name. Sorry, Nicholas, but they go by their middle name usually because their first name is a little weird. But if you call him by Spyridon, and your wife calls him by Michael, that'll at least give him the choice of choosing which name to share with his own friends and associates as he grows older. Peace!!

You all seem to assume they will have more than one child, and she will eventually have her way, as well. It was common in antiquity to have kids by the truckload, but not anymore, that's why this urge to name the firstborn after the father or grandfather has to go. This may be their only child. As such, the decision should belong to both of them. If he wants tradition to get in the way of his marriage, then influencing the Godparents to backup this absurd name (which I understand comes from the word "basket" in Greek, which is why the saint in question was named that way) is not only unfair, but also disrespectful to her and the child. Children want their names to have meant something to their parents, to be special to both of them. I don't see how being named the same as your grandparent honours anybody. A child carries his father and his grandfather's genes, anyway (something ancestors had no clue about, therefore insisted that they be "honoured" in such a vile, thoughtless and egotistical way), and his mother will be putting her life and her youth on the line to give this father a child. If he can't appreciate that, then maybe he shouldn't have a say in the matter, in the first place. If neither name will do, then they should decide on a different one, that they both like. Either way, people need to understand that society has evolved and that the reasons ancestors had to carry on their absurd traditions have become obsolete. The child will be carrying forward the DNA, the traits, the hereditary medical conditions and everything else connected with both families' heritage. I should think it's more than enough. Take his name from him, too, and put your wife in her place, because that's what 21st century marriages are all about. Let's get real!

I personally think the name is weird. I agree with his wife. I wouldn't be happy either.

I don't have a problem with the name Spyridon. But, I won't sign your petition because of point #2. If you cared at all about the name of your possible female offspring, I might have been in your corner.

In my personal opinion from having 4 children and my husband and I fighting over naming them all; you have to compromise a little bit. and in this petition you are downgrading your wife's opinion and saying because she has been exposed to "barbaric names" as you stated makes her unfit to name her own child. how dare you and honestly you sound like a true jerk. and If I was your wife I wouldn't name him that just to spite you, it would be over my dead body. Your democratic crap means nothing it this situation. It is not only Your child but it is her child as well and she is the one carrying it, and most likely the one that will be taking care of it more often. you're just the one that donated the sperm. Yes you are its father but in a marriage and when it comes to your children you pick your battles and being set in stone and making her name a child something she obvious hates is not the way to go. Make Spyridon his middle name. if your wife isn't happy you wont be either. and all of you can criticize me about what I said but he is pompous and too controlling. In a marriage you have to give a little.

We named our kids according to our Greek tradition so they have unusual (by American standards) names. Both kids love their names, they love how it connects them to their Papou and Yiayia and best of all, everyone remembers them because they are not lost in the sea of Michael's and Emily's in the classroom. Our culture gives our kids names meaning. It reminds me of Butch in Pulp Fiction who said "I'm American honey, our names don't mean shit"

What disturbs me is that the 37 year old supposed adult is acting like a 2 year old throwing a fit. I'll be straight up real--that's a horrible name. He will spend his life having to spell it, explain how to pronounce it, and be forced to put up with stupid nicknames people WILL give him, because his real name is too much of a bother. But this is what disturbs me most...you can't be a rational adult about a name. There are all kinds of good suggestions on here for ways to work this out, but nope. 'Dad' wants what he wants. How the living heck do you expect to parent together when you can't work with her on the first major decision concerning this kid? And it's your 'godly right'? Try the truth. "I'm a misogynist, and when I don't get my way, I act out, despite the consequences to my wife's stress level, or what is actually best for my child." I feel so sorry for that baby and your wife. If she was smart, she'd leave you before the kid was born and minimize contact.

Your Counterpoint 2 refers to democracy in your marriage, however democracy would be deciding on a mutually acceptable boy name, not forcing a name your wife hates down her throat. Not only that, you constantly refer to your Greek traditions but openly admit that your wife is not Greek. What about her traditions? In my family, it is tradition for the wife's father's name to be used for the boy, since he already has the father's last name. Maybe her family has traditions too that she would like to honor. Did you ever think of that? How would you feel if you had to address your child by a name you hated for the rest of your life? You, sir, are the one acting as an authoritarian dictator. Your points about the name if it is a girl, that she gets to pick the name, are unconvincing, especially considering that you have agreed to the girl's name. If you hated the girl's name and felt as strongly, maybe that argument would have a leg to stand on, but since you both mutually and democratically agreed on the girl's name, it doesn't support you here. This name issue shows a fundamental lack of respect for your wife, your inability to compromise, and your, admittedly, childish nature. That is no way to act in a marriage, or to begin raising a child. I sincerely hope that your children, particularly male ones, do not adopt your attitudes. Your wife has been the bigger person here, agreeing to this absurd petition. You should learn from her. Pick a different name. You are two people with vastly different backgrounds that will have to blend your traditions. Your Greek background does not get to trump her automatically.

She should understand that her male child should carry on the Greek tradition, and the legacy of the family ! Most children do not go by their given names, most are given a nickname. I have seen worse names come into the American culture. Being in a Greek family and carrying on traditions is a something she should be proud to do for her husband. Give him the name and the legacy to say, "HE is different" and is not scared of traditions! Good luck on your decision!

What an egotistical man thinking his opinion/heritage is all that matters. He's lucky I'm not his wife because this would never have made it to the news...he'd have gotten the boot until he got his act together. The comments he's made about his wife are disrespectful and I hope she finds enough gumption to deal with this. Naming a child is a compromise when the parents don't agree. I did it with my son's father and I respect him more for that.