Naming a baby is a huge responsibility. Parents take a lot of things into consideration when choosing their child's name, and for a lot of people, uniqueness is a huge part of their baby name decision. No one wants their kid to be one of 10 other people in the class with the same name, but sometimes parents choose a baby name that raises eyebrows.
Take Australian journalist Kirsten Drysdale, who decided to give her newborn baby a name we have never heard before. His name, "Methamphetamine Rules," shocked many people, except those who were supposed to be paying attention, Drysdale said. Offensive names are against the law in Australia, but somehow, Methamphetamine Rules made it to his birth certificate.
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Drysdale works for Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The mother of three is an investigative journalist working on a story for the program, WTFAQ, which works to answer burning questions, the New York Post reported. When her investigation began, Drysdale was pregnant and looked deeper into the country's name register, which automatically names a baby if the parents chose something deemed unacceptable. But she couldn't get a straight answer from the government as to what that name would be.
As a seasoned journalist, she decided to test it herself.
Drysdale was set to give birth to her son and decided on Methamphetamine Rules as a clever moniker. She was confident that the crazy name would never make it through the channels, and she would be stopped and asked to name him something else. Drysdale told Australian website news.com.au about her little scheme.
"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," she reportedly said.
It was just a joke.
Drysdale said it was just a little light-hearted fun, but she soon realized it was no laughing matter. When she checked the online submission, all the details were as she had submitted. Weeks later, she got the hard copy of his birth certificate in the mail. To say she was shocked is an understatement.
"I don't know how it slipped through," Drysdale said. "I'm not sure if someone was overworked, or if it was automated somewhere. Or possibly, maybe they thought Methamphetamine was a Greek name. They haven't really given us a clear answer."
The Registrar said it was a mistake.
According to the New York Post, Drysdale spoke with the Registrar, who said that it was a rare oversight and that her son's official name would be approved any day. She declined to share her baby's real name because she doesn't want him to be affiliated with this crazy story.
"It's a beautiful name and I can tell you has nothing to do with class A drugs," she said. She plans to keep the story to herself for now and tell him when he turns 21.
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No names like Meth's will be slipping between the cracks anytime soon.
A spokesperson for NSW Births, Deaths, and Marriages told the New York Post it reviewed its processes to prevent any further naming mishaps. Most parents don't name their babies after things like drugs, which may account for the oversight.
"The vast majority of parents do not choose a name for their newborn baby that is obscene, offensive, or contrary to the public interest," a representative said.
