I have been married for 3 months and 6 days (I have a counter on my iphone) and I am only just getting around to changing our bank accounts and my name. Today I went to the bank to change all our accounts to reflect the new hypenated last name. It has taken me awhile to get to it, and part of the delay was trying to decide what my married name should be. Stick with the maiden name? Adopt the new name? Or become a mix of the two, to reflect the merge of two people but also two distinct cultures? I love my last name, and after nearly 29 years with it, I really struggled with the thought of not being who I define myself as through my name. I also have a tough time simply because historically, women become invisible when they take their husbands names. Tracking genology always is done through the males of the family, so unless my brother has kids, my last name will die with me and my sisters. I will become an invisible part of history, nearly impossible for my ancestors to track... On the other hand, we are creating a new family, and our marriage and unified name symbolizes this.
I was engaged for a year and a half before we got married and even once we did get married in November 2o08, I STILL couldn't decide what to do... The hubs supports whatever decision I make, but also really likes my maiden name and thinks I should keep it and stay true to my belief's... so after nearly TWO YEARS of thinking about what to do, I am hypenating... I am keeping a bit of the old and embracing the new... and our children will take the hypen too... they can decide if they want to keep the hypen when they cross this bridge or make a new tradition with to reflect their new lives...
So, I am proud to be a Mrs. Hypen... reflecting the old me and the new journey/life/traditions I am embarking on with the Hubs!
xoxo
L
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