I do not understand why people name their child a name only to call them a nickname.  I am Jennifer.  I’ve never gone by Jenny, but people insist on calling me a name I don’t use and never gave them permission to use.  I think for my little sister’s sake when we were kids, my folk’s called me Jeni because it was shorter and how easy is it for a little one to say Jennifer?  Once I was allowed to have my own opinion and when I obtained my first job as a lifeguard and swimming instructor, I was Jennifer.  In high school I also went by Jennifer, but friends still call me Jenn.  Jenn is absolutely fine and just leave it at that.  Don’t add the extra vowel variation.  When I joined the professional workforce, using my full name was never a problem and no one requested to call me Jenny.

When I met my husband, I asked him to call me Jenn.  It’s more personal sounding whereas, Jenny can be found in the backwoods with a full size rebel flag pole bolted upright in the middle of a jacked-up pick-up bed accessorized with a gun-rack.  The jacked-up pickup is so not my style.  Seriously, that is my perception.  Jenn is not hill-billyish – it’s casual and personal.  Jenn was never an issue either and I like hearing Jenn (written it must be with two n’s), but there’s just something about hearing a fully speech-developed adult calling me Jenny that makes my ears go numb.  From little ones like my niece and nephew, hearing Auntie Jeni is precious, special and too fantastically cute.  Generally speaking, there are no adults other than my sister and brother-in-law who call me Jeni – and that’s for my niece’s and nephew’s sake.  Even my parents made a concentrated effort to be conscious of it.

My maternal side blood-relatives had already long ago started calling me Jenn, but for whatever reason, a few one individual will not honor following their lead and call me Jenn.  I’m sitting here at my desk staring at a Christmas card envelope addressed to Jenny and my husband’s name.  Cute card, but that name is honestly like nails on a chalkboard.  I have never presumed to call someone a name they didn’t give me upon meeting them, so is it too much to reciprocate that?  I’m Jennifer or Jenn, but not Jenny/Jeni unless you’re a niece or nephew.

I see this a lot.  Michael is a perfectly excellent name, but it often becomes Mike or worse yet, Mikey, Richard becomes Dick and Margaret becomes Peggy.  Whaaaat?  So, back to my original question – why do parents name a child one thing, only to promptly call them something else?