Mrs. Chavez

So, I decided to keep my name after I married. It’s not really a big deal. My husband doesn’t mind. As of today we are not planning in having children but if we do they will probably take my husband’s name. If I wanted to push the issue Jerome would be fine with giving our kid a hyphenated name but honestly I don’t care. There is no feminist theory behind me keeping my name – I just like it, it’s my name, and I didn’t want to go through the hassle of changing it. Another reason I kept my name, it is really stupid I know, but it’s Mexican, and I like that. I am half Mexican (Hispanic – I honestly don’t know where my family is from, but I am guessing Mexico) but I look like a pale white girl with dark hair and eyes and I like keeping that Mexican part of me. Jerome is also half Mexican, but the opposite of me – his mother is Mexican and his dad is White so his last name is White. This is totally not PC but it is what it is. Plus I like sharing a name with this guy.

But the point of this post is that people are really passive aggressive about it – mainly my mother. She knows that I didn’t take Jerome’s name but she insists on sending me cards, checks, whatever addressed to Celeste Chavez-Hamman. I am not Chavez-Hamman, she knows this. I remember my mom making a stink about it when we were planning on getting married and Jerome told her what about your daughter makes you think she would change her name? HA! Love that husband of mine. There are other family members who may not know that also send cards the same way – but for sure my mother knows, as well as an old friend who sent a card. I don’t get it. Just send the card to Celeste Chavez, it’s easy, it’s the same as it was. We send our x-mas cards as the Chavez-Hamman Family, as in J. Hamman and C. Chavez. I guess that might make it a little unclear, but how would I really clarify?