|
I obviously can't make the decision for other people, but I decided to keep my name. Here are a few reasons why:
1. I am my father's youngest daughter. He has no sons. My intended, on the other hand, has a brother and nothing but male cousins. I would like to keep the family name going in some way. Whether or not I like that side of the family is irrelevant to me.
2. Like OTW, I want to have MY name when I get my advanced degrees. Come to think of it, none of my female professors took their husband's names. He is joining my family just as much as I am joining his.
3. I like my last name better than I like Mr. Munch's. It reflects MY ethnic and regional tradition. It is specific to one family in one area of my state--something of which I am very proud.
4. I would like to keep my credit record separate from my husband's for the first few years, for totally personal reasons. Keeping my maiden name makes this a little easier.
My mother hyphenates, so I don't feel too bad at all about keeping my name--the one that I received my education, established my credit, and had a great life for a few decades with.
What happens to the kids, you ask? My nephew's last name is hyphenated, and he's just fine. Both names are relatively short, so it doesn't overwhelm him (he's 2). Some of my friends whose mothers kept their names professionally use their father's last name, still others hyphenate.
We'll probably hyphenate--if we decide to go forth and multiply. I'm not really into the idea of little Munchkins running around.
|