So, about not telling anyone the baby's name...

Yeah, that didn't last.  We've told everyone.

So...da-da-da-daaaa....

Russell Wilson Aloysius John McCain Beastmode Pankow will officially be...

Owen Francis Pankow.

Now, first of all.  How did we come up with this?

Owen is Kim's dad's middle name.  So, that one was easy.

And, since Kim got her pick which pretty much breaks all my rules for naming (uncommon but not made up and no namesakes), I pretty much bullied her into giving me the middle name.  So, I picked Aloysius.  And she said no.  So, I went with my next favorite Jesuit Saint...Francis! 

I'll be honest...Kim still doesn't love Francis.  She says it's growing on her.  But, it's taken some whining on my part.  Francis is the name of some very strong men and very important people in the history of the Catholic Church.  St. Francis of Assisi (patron Saint of animals and the environment), St. Francis Xavier (founding member of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, patron Saint of Catholic missions and considered to be one of the greatest Christian missionaries since St. Paul) and Pope Francis. 

A lot to live up to, I'm sure. 

To this day, I credit Gonzaga with helping me grow as a person; to leave my small town mindset behind and to embrace the broader world with more acceptance and love.  Gonzaga helped me become who I am and I hope to pass many of those values on to my sons.  To me, this is a way of honoring the Jesuit tradition. 

The close second in middle name choice: Frederick.  My Grandpa Pankow's first name.

Now, that is also a perfectly acceptable name.  And, as the patriarch of the Pankow family and a very good man, he is a worthy person for whom to grant a namesake.

But, Grandpa already has 2 grandkids with middle names of Frederick.  I'm one of them.  The other is my cousin David. 

So, I really prefer to stick with Francis.

Now...remember how, in the post where I said we weren't going to tell people, I mentioned that the reason is because people get so judgy.  Well, I was right.

"Francis?" 

"Why Francis?"

"What's wrong with Frederick?"

"Frederick sounds so much better than Francis." 

"Think of what it would mean to your grandpa."

"You should really go with Frederick instead of Francis."

And more. 

Super...Duper...annoying.

Not to mention RUDE, people! 

Francis is a perfectly acceptable name.  It's not like we're naming him Spaghetti or Ikea.  If you want to complain, do it behind my back like I do when kids have a weird name.  Although, I stand by my feeling that Francis is not a weird name.  In fact, it is a very strong name. 

And it's a middle name!  Who really cares about anyone's middle name? 

So, the next time you are considering telling me how you feel about my son's middle name, remember that I didn't ask for your opinion.  If you ask what his name is, I will tell you.  If you ask me where it comes from, I will tell you.  I don't need you to passive aggressively tell me how it's not that good.  You don't even have to tell me you love it.  But, if you give me your opinion, be prepared to hear my opinion on the state of your manners.