Oh, Athena. What's in your Name?

Personally, I find it kind of funny how many people do not see us pawrents as real parents. I find it funny and interesting because the excuse that many use out there to discredit us and our roles is that we did not "birth" our fur babies. They also remind us that our fur babies are different species than us; thus, we cannot be looked at the same as parents. Ok, so I'll give credit where credit is definitely do... I understand that in that sense we are perhaps not real parents and that our fur babies may have four legs instead of two; however, parents and pawrents are more similar and share many more experiences than many are comfortable to admit.

Since becoming a pawrent to Athena and experiencing parenthood, or pawrenthood in my case, I have noticed that I have experienced a few things that parents would experience with their own children... just perhaps with a furry four-legged twist.

Let's think about it, even just on this blog I have shared stories that I'm sure many of you who are reading this and are parents can relate to. Things such as: seeing your child for the first time, loving your child unconditionally, fearing being able to care properly for them, the fear of having the responsibility of that little life in your care, having to make important life decisions for them, guiding their vaccination journey... picking their name. Ah, yes! The name! The one thing that sets us apart from everyone else around us, whether child or fur-child. The one other important responsibility and privilege that we have to give another being the name they shall carry with them their entire lives. So today's story begins!

Now, on this part of my pawrenthood journey, when I mention my puppy's name to someone I usually either get one of three reactions. I get either: someone who's never heard the name before but loves how it sounds, someone who knows where it stems from and praises me for having chosen it, or someone who just straight out asks me why I picked "Athena" as her name. In each situation, each person is asking me in their own way what my thought process was to pick that name for her. Quick sidenote here: when I was thinking about my fur-baby I knew that, whether feline or canine, if it was a female fur baby, her name would not be anything else but Athena. In fact, when I saw her on the video that night that I was calling to ask about her sister and found her, I remember telling the family "Please keep Athena safe for me and let her know that I'll be coming to take her home tomorrow".

I don't know if I am the only pawrent who has done this, I know that many parents do, but as a pawrent, I took the responsibility of picking her name very seriously. I wanted my little one to have a name that would be unique and special to them. The thought process for me took a twist when I began suffering from chronic anxiety and panic. Since I was looking for a fur baby to help me with my mental and emotional health, I knew that, besides a unique and special name they would also have to have a STRONG name. Another quick sidenote here, I have always been interested in Greek Mythology. I may not have spent days or hours studying it; however, I am very intrigued by it, and I do know a few basics here and there of the Gods' stories. One of the Greek Goddesses that has always intrigued me in Greek Mythology has been Athena: The Goddess of war strategy and wisdom. To me, that name fit MORE than perfectly. You see, I have always said that we who suffer from any type of Mental Health Disorder, whatever that may be, are warriors. Warriors that, unlike society would like us to believe, are stronger than most people as we are dealing with something every single day. Warrior... war... mental health war... strength... Athena! The association, the name, the meaning all fit EXACTLY into what I needed from my fur baby. I knew that she would be my warrior and that she would remind ME that I too and strong and able to fight anything that comes my way... ESPECIALLY my anxiety and panic. Also, I knew that, by giving her this name, I would be symbolically giving her strength to overcome anything that she would have to personally face in her little life.

Now, funny enough, even her nickname Thena comes from strength. First of all, Thena fits perfectly because it is just Athena without the "A". Next, it is easy to pronounce and is a loving name I can call her when I don't want to, or am too lazy, to say her full name. Finally,

and I can thank the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for this one, it is the name of one of their Eternals. In Eternals, one of the newest movies of Marvel and one of my personal all-time favorites, Thena is played by my favorite actress - Angelina Jolie. You see, the Eternals may be superheroes but, they also have many human qualities... ESPECIALLY Thena. In the movie, Thena is the "Strongest Warrior of Athens, protector of Olympia, and Goddess of War" and at the same time, she is an incredibly emotionally and mentally broken character. I loved that fact that Marvel put a character who is so broken to show that emotional and mental brokenness does not equate to weakness. In the movie, although broken, Thena is still one of the strongest of all the 12 Eternals and the one who can fight through anything, even her Mental Health struggles... Coincidence? I think not! Connection to Greek Mythology? Most DEFINITELY. So, I added these facts into my name picking equation... Thena... close enough to Athena... stemming from my favorite Greek Goddess... shortening of the name I had already picked for my fur baby... Thena as her official nickname it was!

I think, with this post, many will realize why I am so strict on making sure that my puppy's name is pronounced correctly, whether in Spanish or English. It is because her name is beautiful and deserves to be respected. It is because picking her name was not a decision that I made overnight nor was it a decision I took lightly. Picking her name meant picking strength for both her and me. It was a way of connecting our strengths and symbolically showing that we are not only dependent on each other, but that we are also there to help each other overcome life. It was a way to show that we are both warriors and that we have to be there for one another to bring that warrior side out in each other to fight life's daily battles/struggles. It was a way to show that we are going to be there for each other, like superheroes and warriors in the same army, to bring out strength in each other when one of us doesn't have it in them any longer. Athena to me is not just a name, a word, or just simply Athena. Athena to me is what my fur baby brings to my life and what I hope to always bring to hers: love, strength, hope, protection, and resilience.