If you name your child a full name, but plan to call them the nickname most of the time, how do you handle that? Which name do you introduce them as? What do you write on their school registration papers? When they are born, do you announce the full name and nickname?
We really like [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] and [name_m]Wesley[/name_m], but truly love [name_u]Cal[/name_u] and [name_m]Wes[/name_m] and would want them called that most of the time. It doesn’t feel right to just name them [name_u]Cal[/name_u] or [name_m]Wes[/name_m] because I feel like there may be times in their life they will want that full name -you know, like when they are declared the new Supreme [name_m]Court[/name_m] [name_m]Judge[/name_m]
[name_u]Cal[/name_u] and [name_m]Wes[/name_m] are natural nicknames for [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] an [name_m]Wesley[/name_m]. I wouldn’t stress about needing to announce it or introduce them by their nickname as once people know them the nickame would naturally stick after hearing you call them that.
As far as school registrations etc. go, always use a childs full name. If they go by their middle name or something totally different from their full name that can be noted by the school.
If they are primarily called [name_m]Wes[/name_m] or [name_u]Cal[/name_u], I would introduce them as that. Most people will wait for this “unofficial” permission before calling children by a nickname. I have young kids, and the other parents within our area will introduce their children as [name_m]Xan[/name_m] ([name_m]Alexander[/name_m]), [name_f]Gracie[/name_f] ([name_f]Grace[/name_f]), [name_f]Lizzy[/name_f] ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]) if that is what their children will go by. So, use their full name for official registrations, but introduce them by their nickname if that is what you would like them to be called. Or “His name is [name_m]Wesley[/name_m], but he goes by [name_m]Wes[/name_m].” If you don’t introduce the nickname, I don’t think adults would ever take the liberty to just insert a nickname for usage. Example: If someone at playgroup introduced their son as [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], I would think I would be quite rude to just begin calling that child [name_u]Cal[/name_u]. Many people prefer the full name ([name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], [name_m]Charles[/name_m] etc) and they would introduce as the full name to discourage the practice of shortening it. I hope that makes sense!
If I were you… I would name them [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] or [name_m]Wesley[/name_m] and call them [name_u]Cal[/name_u] or [name_m]Wes[/name_m]. I would introduce them however you want so if you call them [name_u]Cal[/name_u] or [name_m]Wes[/name_m] then that’s fine. On school papers, etc you would write [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] or [name_m]Wesley[/name_m] and if there isn’t a place for nicknames then tell the teacher. I have a [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] in my class and he is called [name_m]Zach[/name_m] by everyone. We changed his name tag to say [name_m]Zach[/name_m] and that is what he writes on all his papers (not a big deal at all).
I have a few friends named [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], and one named [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], in school, they’re listed on the attendance as [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] ‘X’ and [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] ‘X’ but then tell the teacher that they prefer to be called ‘[name_m]Eli[/name_m]’, “[name_f]Beth[/name_f]”, or “[name_u]Jessie[/name_u]” (as those are their nicknames). I don’t know if this goes for all schools, but, at the schools in my district, the registration form has a spot beside where their given name goes, for parents to put their ‘usual’ name - the name that the parents/child prefer to use. If you’d rather them be called [name_u]Cal[/name_u] or [name_m]Wes[/name_m] in school, make a note of that in the ‘usual name’ spot, if there is one. We have a student in our kindergarten class this year, named [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u], but her parents have her usual name down as [name_u]Kenzie[/name_u], so, that’s all she goes by. I hope this helps you!
