What's in a name?

Dear Sloane,

I knew your name when I was nine. That's when I saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off - to date, my favorite movie. Sean would not watch it with me if I paid him because I felt compelled to recite every single line. In fact, if pressed, I'm fairly certain I could act the entire movie out without re-watching the film. It's a nearly perfect movie.

Long before I was a teenager, I watched John Hughes' movies and imagined my teenage life to be filled with long locker-lined hallways, cheerleaders, nerds, jocks, and brains, skipping class, detention and kegger parties when people's parents would go away for the weekend. It all looked so glamorous. Ferris Bueller was the king of all that glamour. He was definitely cool, but not in a James Spader, spit on the dweebs way. Everyone looked up to him. He had an independent spirit and lived each moment to the fullest- because after all - "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris was only 17 but he could make anything happen. He would have had his pick of all the girls in the school, but who loved him back? Sloane Peterson.

Sloane gets out of her Economics class by tricking the school's principal into thinking her grandmother has passed away. She doesn't flinch when the principal insists on escorting her out to meet her getaway car; she is generous and articulate. "Mr. Rooney... Ed... you're a beautiful man. I want to thank you for your warmth and compassion." Now baby Sloane, you should not lie. But sometimes I hope you will have wonderful adventures and wonderful adventures sometimes require more flexibility than traditional high school constraints will allow you.

Sloane is bright and beautiful but she is also independent and confident. In downtown Chicago, Ferris asks her to get married. He's charming and persuasive and any girl who did not have a good head on her shoulders would be challenged not to swoon, but not Sloane. Sloane immediately dismisses the idea - after all, she still has to finish high school! But maybe someday. She's confident enough to know that if Ferris wants her hand in marriage, he'll wait.

Sloane also has a great sense of humor. After leaving lunch, Ferris, Cameron and Sloane pile into a taxi towards their next destination. Suddenly, Ferris spots his dad in the next taxi. Within moments, Ferris and Cameron are both on the floor of the cab taking turns squeezing a rabbit's foot for luck (something that thankfully was far more popular in the 1980s than it is now). Sloane is cool under pressure; she sits tall in her seat. When Ferris' dad spots beautiful Sloane over the top of his newspaper, she doesn't hide - she smiles and winks.

Ferris: [Hiding on the floor of the taxi while his father is in the car next to him] What's he doing?
Sloane: He's licking the glass and making obscene gestures with his hands.

She's also caring. Later, when Cameron slips into a catatonic state after the mileage on his dad's 1957 Ferrari has been significantly increased, Sloane holds Cameron across her lap and pleads with him to blink if he understands her - Sloane makes sure Cameron makes it through the day while Ferris faces the camera to wax poetic about Cameron's problem.

Sloane Peterson sounds as beautiful to me as Mia Sara looked back in 1986- those high cheekbones, and deep brown eyes. She was poetry in a fringed suede jacket. Your dad vetoed the name Sloane Peterson immediately but Sloane stuck around on our list of names. For a while, long before we were ready to have kids, we thought Daphne was our favorite girl's name. It might still end up your middle name. We'll see.

Sloane means warrior. Interestingly, our last name means Little Champion. So I know nothing will hold you back. I did not want to pick a name for you that was adorable when you were four but embarrassing when you were 34. I wanted something unique, but not pretentious. I love all the vowels in your name and I think you'll have so much fun learning a cursive capital "S".

There are still 19 weeks to go, but I can't wait to see your sweet face and hold you in my arms. I hope you'll love your name as much as we do.

Love,

Mommy