GolferMD IV- Picking Our Baby Name

GolferMD IV is coming soon and the pressure is getting real. If I made golf balls I would call them GolferMD IV’s. Sort of like Pro V1s. Although it for sure would be moneymaker, GolferMD IV does not refer to my upcoming golf ball industry domination. IV refers to our fourth child.

We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl. For months we’ve had a small white envelope in our house which holds the gender key. I haven’t looked and Kelsey “claims” she hasn’t either. I’m just really happy we didn’t have to throw a gender reveal party. (No offense to the couple who burned down half of Arizona or California with their cute surprise party.) Recently I even heard a CNN commentator who stated it was not possible to determine gender, even at birth. It’s amazing what passes for news.

Worse than not knowing the gender of your future child is not knowing the name. For the time being the child will be referred to as GolferMD IV.

Grandpa

My name is David Keith Barber. I was named after my Grandpa, David Keith Barber, or D. Keith Barber, as he would write it out. He went by Keith his whole life. Grandpa Barber was known for being spirited. He had strong feelings on a variety of topics and wasn’t afraid to share them. He was a pious follower of Jesus and throughout his life helped countless people. It is not uncommon for me to still have people tell me how Grandpa Barber helped improved their life.

To me though, Grandpa was just that. He was Grandpa. I have many memories of Grandpa and always felt a close bond to him because I was his namesake. I remember Grandpa cutting apple slices for my evening snack, making me a chocolate milkshakes with his handheld blender, teaching me how to correctly tie a fishing lure, listening to Paul Harvey each morning on his dial up radio, making bird traps to try and catch quail, and being a pitcher for me every summer Sunday as I tried to hit wiffle balls into his neighbors yard. Grandpa was the best, and I am proud to carry his name.

What Have You Done With My Name?

As a boy my parents told me the story of a man named George Albert Smith. He was also named after his grandfather. One day his grandfather appeared to him in a dream and said to his grandson, “I would like to know what you have done with my name.” As the story goes, George’s whole life passed before him. He smiled and said, “I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed.”

That seems to be a very lofty standard to live up to. As I review the millions of choices I have made in life I am sure many were less than ideal. I do hope that as I collectively look back on my life decisions though that I will have brought honor to the name I was given. Bringing honor to my Grandpa’s name has become more than a passing thought for me in life. Cue the Mulan music.

Choosing a Name

There are 54 grandchildren between my family and my wife’s family. Seems like families of this size should be outlawed. By now it seems that most of the useable family names have been used up. All except for Dewey, the name of my Great Grandpa. I suggested it to Kelsey. No go.

Some families name all of their kids with the same first letter. We messed that up with our second kid, but tried to resurrect it with the third. The same letter of the alphabet has never been a necessity to me.

Some people name their kids after cities or places. We have thus far refrained. I am neither in favor or opposed. If it’s the right name for our child I’d go for it.

Some names are traditional and some so weird you can’t spell or pronounce them. We have found a middle ground it seems of not super traditional but not super weird.

Last names as first names seems somewhat common. We did that with our second child, Anderson. It’s a great name for him. I asked him last week if he wants to be called “Andy” or “Anders” as if he were from Switzerland. He said no.

Common names for Boys/Girls aren’t out of the picture for us. At one point we both liked Peyton, but disagreed on which gender it belonged to. My Grandpa went by the name “Pat” although his true name was Marion. I highly doubt that “It’s Pat” would fly on SNL these days.

GolferMD IV

Sometimes I mention a name and someone says: “That would be a great dog name”. My gut reaction is to reply that I had a dog with their name when I was younger. Sometime told me that Bailey was a great dog name. We named our daughter Bailey. She is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen with two legs. She also has the cutest name in the world.

I had a great name picked out for our next child. Came to me as I was driving down a road. I mentioned it in closed circles. Some responses were favorable. Some were unfavorable. I’ve learned that telling people a name you like in advance is never wise. I got the “that seems like a good dog name” response from someone. I want to stick with the name just for that reason.

George Foreman had 5 sons. George Jr, George III, George IV, George V, George VI.

With one month to go we do not know the gender nor the name. In the end we will get it together and make up our minds. For now GolferMD IV seems fitting. Or should it be V?

About Me

I’m a husband, dad, golfer, and doctor navigating my way through life. I‘ve tried to make millions with GolferMD.com but have spent thousands instead. I want to be known as more than just a golfer, but some days a golfer is all I want to be.