Naming a child is a big responsibility that every parent approaches differently. One Canadian mom and her partner decided to make sure their daughter’s name was unique. They did not expect their friends and family to weigh in.
Tenille Bain and her partner, Michael, named their daughter Chree, pronounced like tree. Their loved ones were quick to point out that this was also slang used to describe cannabis. Thankfully, the family eventually got on board, but not before making their objections known. Tenille and Michael could care less.
It was Michael who originally came up with the name. It started out as a joke but quickly stuck. The unique spelling is in honor of Tenille’s mom, Cheryl.
Tenille reveals that people are not shy about asking why she and Micheal made this decision. “Multiple people have blatantly asked me why I’d choose to name my daughter Chree,” she explained. “People are just so afraid of change — they say they’re afraid she won’t get hired for jobs in the future, or she’ll be bullied in class.”
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Chree’s full name complicated things even further. Her middle name is Mary Jane in honor of her grandmother. Tenille maintains her name has nothing to do with marijuana, but it is easy to see how people can get that impression.
Tenille and Michael first announced Chree’s name at a gender reveal party. Their family was pretty critical of the decision, which led to a “heated discussion. They went ballistic,” Tenille recalled. “They told us that we were being crazy and that we couldn’t do it.”
Tenille and Michael’s family and friends have since gotten on board with the name. Chree is now an energetic 4-year-old. “Thankfully as soon as Chree was born, they learned to accept it,” Tenille said.
Chree’s brother also has a unique name. He is named Tevye, after the lead character in the musical Fiddler on the Roof. It was Tenille’s favorite musical when she was growing up.
Tenille often posts pictures of her children on social media and still faces criticism from strangers about their names. “I had one person say they’d rip up an application if they saw Chree’s name on it,” she explained. “Some of the comments can be really loaded — someone said no one would be able to pronounce it.”
Outside the internet, Tenille gets a lot of support and love toward Chree’s name. She says people believe it matches her bubbly personality. Chree loves to sing and dance.
