Quote Originally Posted by CA_in_NC View Post
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And yep - I did take my DH's last name. Didn't see any reason to keep my dad's name - he was out of the picture for most of my childhood.

CA
CA -- No offense intended but I always thought of my maiden name as "my" last name, not my dad's. My parents, surprisingly enough given that they were born in the 1920s and had very old-fashioned values, drilled in me and my sister the need to be independent in all ways. My sister also kept her maiden name. In addition, my parents really stressed the family history--my dad was a first-generation Irish/American, and the family was large, traditionally Irish (in ways good and bad) and very proud of our Irish heritage. There was a lot of identity put in the name and passed on to kids.

That's where I'm coming from---it's truly just a different view and I'm not being critical or judgmental of your perspective on it.