Should A Woman Change Her Name Following Divorce?
Should A Woman Change Her Name Following Divorce?
When my sister got divorced several years ago, she opted to keep her married name. I understood her decision, even though the name carried some painful reminders and personal baggage she would have been better off leaving behind. After all, she had a pretty full plate just coping with the added stress and financial pressure of the breakup, without adding the legal and clerical minutiae of a name change.
Still, lately I've been thinking more about the pros and cons of women and name changes following the end of a marriage, so I was very interested to read about the recent decision of Stephanie Madoff to change her surname and that of her children to Morgan. You'll know Stephanie as the wife of Bernie Madoff's son, Mark, who recently took his own life.
I'm not questioning Stephanie's decision to change her name, or even the timing of it. In fact, I believe making a change like this in the aftermath of a stressful, life-altering event can be a very good thing... an effective way to re-orient one's self to her new life, and change negative energy to positive.
My concerns focus on the specific conditions of the change; namely, the change to the surname Morgan, which will actually have the subliminal impact of attraction to more drama. Also, that name is also the surname of Dexter Morgan from the Television series Dexter, a serial killer... now there's an association to be avoided at all costs!
My point in all this is to suggest that, while a divorce or other life-altering event might be a very good time to consider a name tune-up, you should carefully consider the impact your new name will have on your life, both on the surface and subliminally. Take some time, and get some help, before you make this all-important change a permanent one.
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