My bologne has a first name...

I have a first name too...I do...but I am not sure anyone actually knows it.  Somewhere along the way I became a person who is identified by their relationship to other people.

Every morning I drop my son off to his teacher and hear "Good morning Dom's mom!" or "Dom's mom is here!" This is even from the parents. Yeah but I have a first name too...I do! Okay, I get it, Dom is the star here...this is his place.

So when I go to the local take out place to pick up dinner...which I put under my own name...why does the cashier say "You're Keith's wife right?" Ummm...yeah but my I have a first name too...I do!

Even when I answer the phone at my office "ACS, this is Tanya" I get "Ummm...Hi is this Giuliana's mom?" Well...yeah but I just said my first name...I have a first name too...I do!

This has got to stop! Then I noticed that I have even done it to myself...Of my last 5 MySpace names...not one has had my real name in it...'MrsD','TheRealMrs.Davis', 'MommaD', 'DomsMomandGiulztoo', DandGzMom'...OMG I have lost all sense of who I am.

I have carefully broached the topic with my motherhood sounding boards and gotten plenty of commiserating. But when I gently mention the topic in mixed company with those individuals who can still remember their first names...and own clothing size...and the last time they went out sans children...I get the awkward half smile and nod. The "oh yeah, but it is so cute and worth it right?" patronizing. When I try to correct those individuals who refuse to use my name I get "Oh yes, can you spell that for me?" As if I have not signed it on the dotted line enough times for you to look it up...

Well maybe I will just change my name to something so astounding that people choose to use it just to have a chance to say it.Something like...oh damn it I don't have time to think of a new name... It took me a total of a year and a half to come up with Dominic and Giuliana...I guess I see the advantage of using a symbol...

Or I could just go by Oscar...