My Opinion: Having a part of my Korean name was important. My parents took a part of my Korean name and made it my middle name. Growing up, I loved it because it made me feel special and I had a story to tell when people asked me about my name. I would tell them that my first name is Irish, my middle name is Korean and my last name is German. I still use my middle name every chance I get.

We did the same thing for my son. To me, it seemed even more important for him because his birth-mother chose his Korean name. Now, he has a part of us and a part of his birth-parents forever.

I have seen where some parents keep the Korean name and don't change it at all. I have mixed feeling about that. When your parents don't look like you...you are Korean...you are adopted...you feel out of place. A part of me would have enjoyed it, but another part of me wouldn't have liked it all. I enjoyed being special, but I don't know that I would have enjoyed being that different from my parents.

My Sister's Opinion: According to my sister, my parents never should have used her Korean name. She used to tell my parents that as soon as she turned eighteen she was going to change her middle name to Stephanie.

While I loved my middle name, my sister hated it. Her middle name made her feel different. In a society that encourages people to be similar (dress the same, eat the same things, drink the same drinks, etc...), having a name that invites question was a burden.

The Conclusion: Two children in the same household came up with two very different opinions. This probably means that there is no way to determine how your child will react. You can only do what you think is best now and, like all parenting decisions, you have to wait to see how it all plays out.