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I thought that this was the choice of the parents, not the child. At this point, my child is using this experience to show that she has "power" over the law and can get the judge to do whatever she wants, regardless of what her parents say. I'm sure the judge's intent was not to do this, but in effect she is saying that we as parents have no rights in this matter and that the child is in control.
As difficult as changing your last name is, I think this is the best thing for our family and it is something we have been preparing my daughter for over the last 5 years, since my husband and I were married. She has had plenty of time to adjust to the change. I don't view her last name as part of her identity, and changing it is not going to change the person that she is. However, I do feel that it creates more family unity now as she enters middle school, and in the future when our younger daughter (who's last name is the same as mine and my husband's) grows up. For the judge to take this action regardless of the parent's wishes in this case was wrong.
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