Swedish officials allow parents to give their children silly names

A few weeks ago there were reports about an unfortunate 9-year-old girl. Her parents had decided to name her Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. When her parents started a custody battle as part of their divorce a family court judge found out about the girl's name. He declared it child abuse and said that it would socially disable the girl. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii agrees. She refused to tell even her closest friends her real name and instead wanted everyone to call her K. I bet she's overjoyed that she going to have her name changed.

Meanwhile, Swedish officials have decided to "relax" rules on giving children unusual names. It was reported that children can now be named after beer, fast-food restaurants and rock bands. I remember when a couple was banned from naming their baby "Metallica" a few years ago. Now they can.

Why Sweden? Why?

I go by the name Star. I've had people ask me if my parents were hippies. For every birthday I get everything from star jewelry to star greeting cards. When I'm at work my co-workers sing songs about stars. Such as the Christmas song "Do You Hear What I Hear" (for the record, my tail is not as big as a kite), The Backstreet Boy's "You're My Shining Star" and others.

But I don't mind. I like stars. Stars are shining points of light in the darkness. Stars are guides and form constellations. I even have a five-pointed star tattoo on my left shoulder.

How can a responsible parent name their child Burger King? A bully wouldn't even need to come up with any material to taunt little Burger King, the parents have provided it for them! Burger would have to protect themselves, just like Tulula Does The Hula From Hawaii, by taking on different name.

Which then defeats the point. Your name is what you are supposed to be called. It's one way a person can differentiate you from everyone else. Names can be passed down through families, they can commemorate the dead and celebrate heroes. A child shouldn't have to be ashamed of what is on their birth certificate or worry about being bullied for it.

But I can't tell anyone how to raise their children. If naming a baby Slipknot is legal then parents are free to do it. After all, the parents will have to comfort baby Slipknot when he or she comes home crying. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if Slipknot changes his or her name the day that they turn 18.