This is our oldest son. His name is Atticus. We took the name from Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the character of Atticus is a pillar of strength and goodness. Perhaps that’s a lot to put on a kid, but he’s done right by it. With the release of Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman the name of Atticus is popular again, but this time because the character has changed (or at least our perception of him). His words and actions, namely with regard to race, are not nearly as inspired or inspiring as they had once been, and subsequently we have been asked how we feel about the name now—what do we think about Atticus? However, it isn’t our opinion that matters, but rather what Atticus thinks. After all, it’s his name.
Whit
Whit Honea is the author of “The Parents’ Phrase Book” and co-founder of the philanthropic organization Dads 4 Change. He is the Social Media Director/Community Manager of the Dad 2.0 Summit. His writing can be found at Fandango, GeekDad, Disney, Today, Good Housekeeping, City Dads Group, Stand Magazine, The Washington Post and several other popular publications. He previously covered travel for Orbitz, CBS and AOL, and served as Editor of Family Travel for UpTake. Deemed “the activist dad” by UpWorthy and one of the “funniest dads on Twitter” by Mashable, Whit has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and is the 2015 winner of the Iris Award for Best Writing.
https://whithonea.com
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We don’t have a home phone—at least not like we used to. We cut that particular cord almost a decade ago. Once smartphones became a thing the only reason to have a home telephone was to take surveys, buy obscure tickets to random balls, or interrupt awkward dinner conversations. I’ll admit, there were a few […]
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Love some ukulele. And thanks—the kids have their moments.
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I’m curious – do you think that the publication of ‘Go Set a Watchman’ would have changed your mind if you were choosing a name today?
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