Personal Narrative-Aardvark Ava Girl

In a household full of J beginning names, mine starting with an A always seemed to make me feel out of place. No matter how many times my Mom told me “I just wanted something different, Jasmine wouldn’t have fit you,.”, it didn’t matter. There was Jody, Jade, Jamon, and then Ava. I felt as though my family had left me out of their own little name posse, as stupid as it sounds. Eventually, I learned to accept the full name chosen for me; the silly nicknames and thoughts of displacement slowly vanished as I found reasons to love what I had been called. Growing up, a trip to my grandparent’s house meant hearing the words “Aardvark Ava” from my grandpa as soon as I walked through the doors and into the farm styled house. My buck teeth made a pretty famous spot in our family, as well as a negative connotation of my name. Even after three3 years of braces and perfectly aligned teeth, every now and then I hear those two words. The memory for sure inspires me to wear my bulky retainer. Although that nickname in particular isn’t one a child tends to love, being called “Ava Girl” made up for it. Hearing my second childhood nickname always reminds me of the smell of campfire smoke out in the woods or the sun glistening on the lake …show more content…
Most people would instantly assume something popular like Renee or Marie would fit with Ava. However, I happily told them Katherine filled that spot. Katherine like my grandma, Katherine like my great-great aunt, and Katherine like my cousin. The fact that my middle name carried on a tradition throughout my family finally meant I belonged within something special. My mother had informed me that it had almost been Michele, much to my grandma’s dismay. “Why not Katherine?! I’m her grandma, she should take my name!” Luckily, I would have loved either name but part of me is thankful my grandma decided to put up a fight that