For someone who purports not to care about names, Lainey kind of nails it.
Because when it comes to the newly-minted Frankie Barrymore Kopelman, while I had standard issue grumbles about “Ugh with the boys’ names for girls as though they’re better, nobody’s naming their sons Abigail” and “Wow, Olive is sure going to know which one Mommy thought was going to be the ‘fun’ daughter”, Lainey cut right to the quick of it:
“Frankie is just so her. All the names Drew would want to be named.”
Which is so true. This is a Drew’s daughter kind of name.
I mean look, I’ve said before that everyone chooses the name they love the best, that they think is the most beautiful and epic. But Drew, who was very much the only Drew when she was growing up in the 80s, has chosen a name for her second daughter that screeches “she’s a fun-loving gal! She’s just one of the guys!”
What if Frankie turns out to be a kind of quiet, conservative thoughtful girl? What if she doesn’t want to be the tomboy she’s envisioned as? She won’t have Frances or Francesca to “fall back on” if it turns out it doesn’t fit – maybe she’ll start to call herself Barry, as a nod to Barrymore?
Then again, she will have an awesome namesake. Did you ever read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks? That book will threaten to win you over to Frankie even if, like me, you’re biased against it.
It’s okay, Olive. You’re gonna be fun loving and carefree too.
