Mom left shocked after her joke attempt at naming son ends up being officially accepted
We are most definitely in the era of slightly out-there celebrity names and a whole load of trendy choices parents muse over when it comes to naming their child, but one mom has really taken it to the next level.
The mom, who hails from New South Wales in Australia, was left beyond shocked after her joke attempt at naming her son ended up actually being officially accepted.
Kirsten Drysdale, an ABC journalist, is now in the middle of an admin nightmare desperately trying to amend the Breaking Bad-themed moniker.
The mom recently welcomed her third child to her family and amidst all the joy and jubilation the little one had brought - there's one major problem.
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The baby's legal name is Methamphetamine Rules.
Yep - you read that right.
Now, you may be wondering how on earth this even happened in the first place?
Well, the whole ordeal started when Kirsten was working on a story for the ABC’s WTFAQ programme, the premise of which follows: "WTFAQ's crack team of presenters hit the sweet spot where comedy meets inquisition to answer the questions that have sparked curiosity in the minds of our audience for far too long."
The journalist was constantly met with the question: "What can I legally name my baby?" and decided to take it upon herself to do some on-the-ground investigating herself.
Kirsten wanted to find out what happens when the Registrar default names a child if the parents' first submission is rejected for whatever reason.
After being unable to get sufficient answers from them, the heavily pregnant woman who was extremely close to giving birth decided it was perfect timing to use her situation to her advantage.
She told news.com.au: "We thought, what is the most outrageous name we can think of that will definitely not be accepted?
"Methamphetamine Rules we thought would surely get rejected, and then when it does, we can find out what name the Registrar chooses."
"It was really just a lighthearted, curious attempt to get an answer to this question," she explained.
However, the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages clearly let the bizarre baby name slip through the cracks.
Naturally, the expecting mom was beyond mortified when she realized her son's fake name was actually approved 'very quickly'.
To make matters even worse, Kirsten also received the official birth certificate of her child arrived in the mail, with 'Methamphetamine Rules' listed as her son’s given name.
"I don’t know how it slipped through," she said. "I’m not sure if someone was overworked, or if it was automated somewhere."
Kirsten wondered: "Or possibly, maybe they thought Methamphetamine was a Greek name. They haven’t really given us a clear answer."
Luckily, though, the Registrar has admitted to the blunder and confirmed that Kirsten's son's 'normal' name will be approved imminently.
A spokesperson for NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages has since explained to prospective parents that names registered at birth remain on the register 'forever, even if the name is formally changed'.
Describing the ordeal as 'highly unusual', the spokesperson assured: "The Registry has since strengthened its processes in response to this highly unusual event.
"The vast majority of parents do not choose a name for their newborn baby that is obscene, offensive or contrary to the public interest."
What a story for Baby Meth that will be one day!
Rhiannon Ingle