by Swati Nitin Gupta

Created on: December 21, 2008   Last Updated: December 29, 2008

Everybody is entitled to their point of view hence choosing to keep your last name or to switch to your husband's name should entirely be the woman's prerogative and not forced upon.

This said, personally I feel that switching to your husband's name makes life easier at least in my country. Yes, initially it feels awkward but I guess one gets used to the switch and in certain cases, who knows switching to your husband's last name proves lucky for you according to numerology. Like it happened in my case; I started getting writing opportunities once I switched to my husband's name.

Of course there might be a feeling that you are losing your identity however I must say that if by switching over to a name you feel that you are losing your identity then you surely have an identity crisis. As William Shakespeare once said in Romeo and Juliet "What's in a name? That which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

So if you are confident about your identity and your individuality switching to your husband's name will not harm in any way. It may win you some bonus points with your man's parents especially his other woman his mommy dear and your mother-in-law. As my mom-in-law once told me, you are making my son's name also famous by using his name as your middle name.

Apart from that switching to your husband's name shows that you accept his family as your own and are ready to begin your new life with him as his wife, his life partner. True that marriage is all about togetherness that both man and wife are each others responsibility, however there is still a difference. And the difference is the way man and woman has been created. Men have bloated ego which needs to be pampered all the time. Before marriage it was their mother or sister and now it's their wife.

When you switch to your husband's name (obviously by your own choice) take a look at his face and his walk. He would be grinning ear to ear and will be prancing around with a pride. Yes, I saw it when I switched to my husband's name. It was then I realised that they feel proud when their wives take their names. Sounds backward, but hey men have always been hunters or chasers and when wives switch to their husband's name they feel that now the woman they married is theirs my wife, wearing my rings and mother of my would be children.

Switching to your husband's name will make your children's lives easier if nothing else. Imagine their plight if they have to explain to their peers why their mom and dad have different names and why they have such a long name. Knowing children there can be some crude comments passed on your child which he or she may not like.

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