i rite here

[Kathleen]

I have a little bit of experience with changing the names. We in our family - me and my partner who has inside kids - have changed our names a couple of different ways.

First, when those inside kids were first learning about themselves and the other kids, they did not have their own names, or they had names that the mean dad had called them and that they kind of thought were their names. They were not nice names, and they did not like those names. So I helped them find names for themselves that they liked better and that they would feel better about.

And also, we changed our outside names, too. We changed our last names to match each other, because that is how people show that they are a family - by having the same name - so we did that. Also, Jasmin changed her name from what her outside name was as a little girl (and not so little hahaha). She did not like that name, and she did not feel like it was her name. So she changed her WHOLE name. I just changed my last name.

Only for that last part did we have to go see a judge. And it was a little bit scary. Because the judge asks why you want to change your name. And Jasmin said it was because she did not want to have the same name as her scary dad, and I said I wanted to have the same name as my partner

And the judge just said, "OK". Mostly I think they always just say "OK". Cuz what you are called ought to be your choice.