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Woman gets shamed at CVS for 'son's' unusual name. The reality has people rolling.

"You'll really name your son anything, huh?"

@sarahwithscrubs/TikTok, used with permission

Honestly, most of us would have reacted this way.

It started like any ordinary pharmacy errand. A Michigan woman named Sarah was waiting at CVS to pick up a prescription for her “son.” When another woman waiting in line overheard the name of her “son,” she apparently couldn’t help but let out an unsolicited opinion.

“You’ll really name your son anything, huh?” the woman said with a sigh.

The name in question? Whiskey.

baby names, dog names, golden retriever, name shame, cvs, funny, funny tiktok, funny dog videos, names At least it wasn't Bubbles. Photo credit: Canva

Now, if you’re picturing a tiny human in a onesie named after your dad’s favorite Friday-night drink, and feeling a little baffled in the process, don’t worry. So was everyone else.

Except Whiskey isn’t a little boy. He’s a red golden retriever.

Yep. Sarah’s “son” is of the four-legged variety, currently undergoing cancer treatments and racking up a pharmacy bill that could rival a small country’s GDP. She and her husband get his prescriptions filled at their local CVS because (fun fact) many human and animal meds are the same, just at different doses.

baby names, dog names, golden retriever, name shame, cvs, funny, funny tiktok, funny dog videos, names You just know there's a person named Whiskey out there getting a kick out of this. media4.giphy.com

As Sarah explained to Newsweek, this strategy saves them a few bucks, but can certainly lead to some incredible misunderstandings.

In her TikTok video, which has now been watched over 3 million times, Sarah retold this CVS name-shaming incident, and viewers collectively lost it.

@sarahwithscrubs I should’ve thrown in I was picking up his cancer meds too lol 🤭😂 #fyp #foryoupage #storytime #dogs #smallcreator ♬ original sound - sarah renee

One commenter shared, “I was shaming you too until you said dog!” Another wrote, “I mean, Whiskey is a horrible name for a child 😂 But for a dog? Okay lol.”

However, a few folks came to Sarah’s defense. One person noted, “There are women named Brandi—what’s wrong with Whiskey?” Another admitted, “in my 49 years I didn't know CVS filled pet meds!"

It’s the kind of mix-up that reminds us how funny life can be when the human and animal worlds collide. Because let’s face it: Whiskey the dog? Adorable. Whiskey the toddler? Maybe… less so. It might be a mostly unspoken rule, but a rule nonetheless.

As for what became of that misunderstanding, Sarah shared that when the other woman called Whiskey a "horrible" name for a child to grow up with that could lead to getting bullied in school, Sarah quipped back with "Well, he's a dog. So I don't think so." Upon that realization, Sarah told Newsweek that she “apologized very nicely” once she learned that Whiskey was, in fact, a dog.

As Sarah put it, the stranger “just left in a hurry, probably to think about her actions later.”

Meanwhile, TikTok is still chuckling, and celebrating one very good boy with a name that fits him perfectly.

Moral of the story: some names are meant for baby humans, like Zach or Emma. Others are for the fur babies who greet you at the door with a wagging tail and oodles of love…like Whiskey. 🐾🥃

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Teachers share the insider secrets that help them remember dozens of new names at once

Steal these tips next time you're meeting new people.

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Teachers have to learn dozens or hundreds of new names every year. Here's how they do it.

My youngest daughter just recently started taking karate at a local dojo. One interesting thing about the classes is that kids come twice per week, but they're free to come to any session throughout the week. Depending on which nights we go, we see a lot of the same kids, but it's always a slightly different blend of folks depending on everyone's schedules.

What stuck out to me was that by the second training session, the instructors knew my daughter's name perfectly. She didn't need to be signed in, didn't wear a name tag, they just knew who she was, just as they knew the names of the six to ten other kids in her class. They also knew the names of every person in the advanced group of about 20 people that waits patiently off to the side while the youngins finish their practice.

I can barely remember the names of a few of my kids' friends, so I was immediately in awe of this skill—not to mention, jealous.

Teachers meet dozens or even hundreds of new students every year and are expected to have all of their names memorized within the first few days of school. How do they do it?

teachers, teaching, students, school, names, remembering names, memory, memory tricks, brain training Don't be like the famous Key and Peele substitute teacher sketch. Giphy

It's not unlike the karate instructors at my kids' dojo, who interact with a constantly-rotating cast of different children, teens, and even adults. How do they manage to keep all the names straight? Never mind remembering specific details about each person like their strengths, weakness, personalities, and interests—how do they consistently place the right name to a face?

To answer this, here's what real teachers are saying.

One thread on Reddit is full of tips and tricks from veteran teachers.

One user, an English teacher, recommended raising the stakes by setting a penalty for yourself if you don't learn the names: "I have 100 students and I told them that if I didn’t know their first and last names by the third day of school I’d bake them cookies. I made them sit in the same seat every single day. I’ve done that for five years and have never failed. It’s the idea of baking that many cookies that drives me!"

Another swears by good, old-fashioned repetition: "I make sure to use their names as often as possible during BOY. 'Yes, Sara.' 'Thank you, Sara.' 'Good point, Sara' the repetition helps me."

One teacher tracks their progress in learning the names visually: "I designate a white board to 'names' and every student in every class makes a postit with his/her name on it. For the first days of school, kids get the post-it off the board and put it on the fronts of their desks so I can see their names. The other benefit is that it helps me take attendance the first week or so. After a couple of weeks I start to remove post-its for the kids whose names I know - so then there's maybe 5 per class with the post-its and then I learn those and then mission accomplished!"

Another says they try to peg some kind of personal detail to a student's name to make it stickier in their memory: "I do my best to know something unique and identifiable about each kid, not a physical feature, just a personality or background detail that makes them easier to call to mind. Working with middle school kids, this relationship building aspect is absolutely crucial."

Marieum, who works as a substitute teacher, doesn't have the luxury of slowly learning kids' names throughout the course of several days or weeks. She has a few special tricks of her own up her sleeve.

"When I take attendance... I tell my students, 'Teach me your name', instead of 'Tell me your name.' That way they can tell me of any nicknames, any kind of pronunciation." That helps make the interactions more memorable and personal. She also says she tries not to fault herself for forgetting a name. After all, she's only human.

"Don't be shy to ask... 'Hey, remind me your name.'"

@marieum.ahmad

Names are meant to be learned! Put in your best effort and that’s all that matters! #substituteteacher #substituteteachertips #futureteacher #studentteachingessentials #teacherinspo #teacheroutfit #teacherlife #substituteteacherexperience #substitueteacherlife #earlyelementary #howtobecomeateacher #teachersoftiktok #teacherjourney #teacherintroduction

Teacher Samantha Pasche sets aside five minutes per day the first few days of school to practice all of her students' names, then she actually quizzes herself on them and tracks her improvement.

Her goal is to learn 100% of her student's names by the end of the third day. She'll even have her students switch desks multiple times that first week so that she can re-quiz herself based on the new arrangement–ensuring she's not just memorizing the order of the names, but actually learning the faces. What a dedicated educator!

It's maybe not as applicable to us non-teachers, but imagine if you could get a roster of, say, your kid's classmates and their parents, or their teammates on the soccer team, or even everyone in a new friend group you've been spending time with. Could you quiz yourself for five minutes per day for three days and burn those names and faces into your memory forever?

@samanthapasche

Replying to @Ms Dienger Learning students’ names is so important! Here is what I do to learn them in 4 days! #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #middleschool #middleschoolteacher #firstweekofschool

Tamara says she has about 170 new students every year and it takes about a month for her to learn their names. Even then, she misses a few and still makes lot of mistakes. But her advice is still spot on:

"Just let them know that you love them, just be there for them. They're gonna love you. Don't be nervous."

It's a good reminder that a lot of people are bad at names. If you're feeling anxious about not remembering someone's name, there's no guarantee that they remember yours either! Just be honest and kind to people and the names will come when they come.

@teaching_mrsh

Replying to @Mrs.Rhinoooo😝 Learning Student Names? I haven’t found a way to do it quickly, with 170 students it takes me, as a teacher, at least a month into the school year to have the majority memorized. Be patient with yourself. Study their photos if you can. And don’t be nervous. You’ve got this. Also since no one reads the caption, if you did - drop your favorite color in the comments. Mine is blue. #teachingmrsh #teacherlife #teachertips #teachingadvice How to learn student names Teacher advice for first week of school Teaching advice Teaching high school

A lot of teachers on Reddit, TikTok, and other social media swear by the classics. The art and science of remembering people's names really boils down to a few things:

The first is repetition. When you're first learning someone's name, the more you can use it while you interact with them, the quicker your brain will peg the name to their face. One teacher on TikTok says learning the correct spelling and pronunciation of names, then repeating them as often as possible, helps her learn over 150 new names every year.

Next is either a visual or mnemonic device to help make a name catchier and stickier. One teacher on social media wrote she asks students to introduce themselves with an alliterative description, like Genius Jenny or Nice Nicole. Rhymes are great, too! Like Red Ted, if Ted has red hair, or memorable nicknames like Jake the Snake.

One thing we can all learn from teachers is the time, care, and dedication they take to get to know their students. Many of them practice and study names, with correct spelling and punctuation, and realize the importance of that in building the relationship. All the tricks and memory games in the world won't help you if you don't make the effort to authentically connect with people, but a few ideas from the pros can really help.

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People with 'spiky' names are less likely to get job interviews. Do you have one?

Name-based bias goes even beyond race, sex, and class.

via Canva/Photos

People lined up for job interviews.

There have been many studies in the past that show people face a lot of bias when they turn in a job application. A 2021 study found that job applicants who had "Black-sounding" names were nine percent less likely to get a call back than those whose names sounded "white." People who review resumes are also looking for subtle clues of social class.

A 2016 Yale study found that men who appear to be upper-class in job applications fare much better than women of the same class when applying to elite positions. However, lower-class women perform better than lower-class men in the same process. Unfortunately, sex, race, and class bias are significant issues when it comes to hiring, but another prejudice has nothing to do with inherent characteristics: the way your name sounds can make a big difference when you send in a job application.

Do people judge job applications based on your name?

A recent study carried out by The Conversation found that people attribute personality characteristics to people based on whether their name sounds "smooth" or "spiky." The researchers designed a job ad looking for a candidate high in one of six personality factors: honesty/humility, emotionality, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness (how organized or hard-working someone is), and openness to experience.

spiky names, job interview, job application, job candidates, resumes, waiting, People lined up for job interviews.via Canva/Photos

The researchers sent in applications with people who had smooth-sounding names with sonorant consonants (l, m, n), and the others were spiky with voiceless stops (p, t, k).

Some examples of smooth names (sonorant consonants) include: Joanna, June, Norah, Allen, Linus, and Moses.

Some examples of spiky names (voiceless stops) include: Rita, Erica, Tia, Kurt, and Victor.

The researchers found that individuals with smooth-sounding names were perceived as more agreeable and emotional, whereas those with spikier names were seen as more extroverted. So, if people are hiring for a job where they were looking for agreeable characteristics, those with smooth-sounding names had a better chance of getting the gig.

Interestingly, according to researchers, the way a name sounds has nothing to do with someone’s personality. In real life, Lou and Erica may be just as agreeable as one another. But when hiring managers are just looking at names, Lou gets the gig.

What is sound symbolism?

The idea that the sound of a word can make it feel aligned with particular qualities is known as sound symbolism. It’s why we often say that so-and-so looks like an Emma or a Charles. A popular study on the phenomenon known as the Bouba / Kiki effect found that when given the two names Kiki (spiky) and Bouba (smooth), they are much more likely to call the figure on the left Kiki and the one on the right Bouba. Although researchers don’t know the exact reason why we map certain sounds to specific shapes, they believe it may reflect how we move our mouths to make those sounds.

bouba kiki, bouba kiki effect, shapes, sounds and shapes, sound symbolism, The Bouba / Kiki effect. via Wikimedia Commons

“The rounded shape may most commonly be named ‘Bouba’ because the mouth makes a more rounded shape to produce that sound, while a more taut, angular mouth shape is needed to make the sounds in ‘Kiki.’ Alternatively, the distinction may be between coronal or dorsal consonants like /k/ and labial consonants like /b/,” researchers at Mind Modeling wrote.

The study may reveal that there’s one more thing many of us have to worry about when applying for a job. But it’s also a reminder that we all have some sort of bias, and next time we see a name without knowing the person, we may be judging them based on criteria that doesn't reflect who they are. Much like it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover, judging someone by their name may mean you miss out on someone truly wonderful.

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Woman can't understand why her last name is preventing her ex-husband from remarrying

He's gone. Why does it matter?

via Canva/Photos

A woman thinking about her problems.

Should two women be able to share the same man’s last name if one just divorced him and the other is looking to marry him? Well, at first glance, of course, especially if that man’s last name is common. If his last name is Smith or Jackson, and you marry him, you surely are not the only Mrs. Smith or Jackson on the planet. Even if his last name is uncommon, there is still very little chance that you are the only person with that last name, unless it’s Mxyzptlk.

A woman who divorced her husband three years ago is unsure what is going on after his girlfriend thinks that only she should have his last name. Is the first wife overreacting? She believes this behavior is a bit unusual.

“I was married to my ex-husband for 4 years. I didn't change my name when I first got married because neither of us cared much,” the woman wrote on Reddit. “I only changed it after our daughter was born because I wanted us to share a last name. We divorced in early 2022, and I kept the last name because my daughter still has it, and again, neither of us cared much.”

woman arguing, woman fighting, women in kitchen, conflict, two women, woman confused, A woman holds up her hands in exasperation.via Canva/Photos

The ex's girlfriend seems a bit jealous

Recently, the ex-husband's new girlfriend confronted her when she came to pick up her daughter and said that she needed to change her name because it was "the only thing standing in the way" of them getting married. The girlfriend added that it was “very weird” that she hadn’t changed her name back to her maiden name yet.

Evidently, the girlfriend thinks that she’s the only one who can be known as Mrs. X.

However, the woman doesn’t want to change her last name because it holds more significance for her than her previous marriage. “Aside from the connection to my child, I have a career, and I am involved professionally in the community, so my name carries some weight beyond my marriage and divorce. It doesn't seem fair to me to change it just to appease someone else,” she wrote. To add further insult, the couple said they’d pay for her to have her name changed while, at the same time, they owed her $20,000 in back child support.

woman on phone, upset woman, confused woman, woman white top, smartphone, brown hair A woman talking on the phone.via Canva/Photos

Is she overreacting?

The woman asked if she was overreacting to be upset about being pressured to change her name, and the commenters overwhelmingly supported her. "You are absolutely not overreacting. It's bizarre and odd that they would even bring this up to you, in my opinion. I kept my name after my divorce so that I would have the same name as my children. They have no right to make you feel any way about this, and I agree with you that their priorities are completely out of whack," one of the top commenters wrote. "Once you changed your name, it became YOUR name, not his. That’s really the end of the story if you want it to be! And if you want to have the same name as your child, that’s fair, but the reason doesn’t matter as it’s your name, not theirs."

Many of the commenters also noted that she should make an ultimatum, pay me the back child support, and I’ll change my name.

mother and daughter, happy mom, happy daughter, smiling little girl, bonding, parents A woman and her daughter.via Canva/Photos

Women have a lot of reasons for keeping their ex's last name

The story raises a very personal issue affecting many women. Should I go back to my maiden name after a divorce? A group of women shared why they kept their ex’s last name after a divorce, and the reasons were varied. Many kept their maiden name so they wouldn’t have a different last name from their children. While others said that professional reasons were the reason they kept their previous name, whether they were a writer and it was what they were published under, or a teacher who didn’t want to confuse her students. Other women kept their spouse's last name for a simple reason: they liked it better than their maiden name.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is that people’s names are very personal to them, and it’s not anyone else’s business what they call themselves. Even if their ex’s new beau thinks they should be the sole owners of their ex-husband’s surname. In this story, the woman wasn’t interested in changing her name, not because of a connection to her ex, but because of a much more important relationship, her child.

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