The Name Change

I spent a solid month butchering my little guy's name. Despite my requests to CPS and CASA, no one would/could contact the family to see how to pronounce a name that is far from an American name. So I heard it said by someone of his nationality, attempted to imitate it, came up with my best rendition of it, and eventually he responded.

Exactly one month after being called this butchered name, I was told that that is NOT in fact what his birth family calls him. The name he answers to is the most American type name you can think of, such as John or Richard. And he answers to it immediately.

It's been an interesting week of retraining the brain to say "John" rather than the three syllable, stress on a different syllable than you'd think, name that I got so used to. "John" doesn't exactly LOOK like a John. He looks like a (insert real name here). But, we'll get used to it. He certainly has.