Ingrid
I love my name. Well… maybe not love, but I do like it a lot more than I used to. Instead of being embarrassed about having to correct a substitute teacher every time they pronounced it wrong, or spelling out “I-N-G-R-I-D” every time I am asked my name for an order, or simply being ashamed of it, I now embrace it. I no longer get actually angry when someone calls me “ANgrid”, even after knowing me for many years. And yes, I know that “Ingrid” isn’t the hardest-to-pronounce, most exotic name out there, but you’d be surprised how many people have messed it up. The truth is, I hated my name growing up. It made me stand out in a room full of “Anna’s” and “Emma’s”. I didn’t like to stand out all the time. That’s still true now, even though I have grown to like the uniqueness my name places on me even before someone gets to know my personality. There was also the, “Ingrid’s a grandma name” and “The only other Ingrid I know is a grandma”. Kids used to be relentless, insisting my name was only used for senior citizens, resulting in my elementary school nickname: “Grandma Ings”. Yes. That was actually my nickname for many unfortunate years. That’s another problem. Can you even give someone named “Ingrid” a cute, fun nickname? Not really. Because “Ingrid” isn’t really a cute or fun name. But I think it’s a beautiful name. It actually means “beautiful” or “loved” in German. I was named after a good friend of my parents when they lived in Germany. I like that part about my name, the story behind it. And anyway, I would much rather have a name that I like, than a name that is convenient for other people to say.
Hi Ingrid! I love your progression of character throughout this blog. As you acknowledged that you originally did not like your name, I began to think about the same experience I had with my full name: Catherine. I too felt embarrassed about it, hence why I changed to Catie [either that or writing nine letters in Kindergarten was difficult... :) ]. After I changed it, the name stuck and I have not thought about going back, but after reading about your acceptance and gratitude toward your name now, I am reflecting on if I would ever go back to my full name later on, so for that, you did a great job this week!
ReplyDeleteI love the style you used in this blog. I could definitely hear your own voice in your writing which made it much more compelling. I had no idea you faced such conflict over your name in the past and I’m so glad you've grown to embrace it. Your use of humor also made this blog so fun and interesting to read. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Ingrid! I love the last line of your post - I would also rather have a name that I like than one that's easier to pronounce. I really like how personal your post was with your past nicknames and your struggles with mispronounciations and teasing. I personally love your name and I'm really glad you do too now!
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