Cyclone, Challenger, Rump and Honi Bea. While these may seem like silly names to some parents, they are music to the ears of others.

But should parents have the right to go off the road of convention when naming their offspring?

In Peru this question has caused considerable debate. Faced with a rise in what it considered to be silly and offensive names, the government tried to crack down.

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Opposition politicians and church leaders objected. They said the legislation to control the names given to children would deprive parents of freedom of choice.

It is an opinion many parents would agree with in Britain. "We think our children's names are perfect, " say the parents of Truly Scrumptious, Dollie Mollie and Honi Bea.

But the Peruvian government thought parents did not know what they are doing when giving their children off-beat names.

"People are giving their children names like H2O (the symbol for water) and Ebullicion ('Boiling' in Spanish) and this is going to hurt the child," said Justice Minister Alfredo Quispe.

The Peruvian government has now reversed its legislation. But in other countries restrictions over names have been in place for many years - Italy and Germany are just two.

Their governments say that, at best, a silly name can lead to endless teasing. At worse, it can lead to psychological damage.

But Truly Scrumptious and sisters love their names and could change them later if they didn't.

What do you think:

Should parents have the right to give silly names?

It's stupid but so what...
Latrinia, US

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