I always went by my middle name of Alfreda (long e sound) and in school I hated being teased about it. Remember Captain Kangaroo with Alfred the Airsick Eagle? Fred Flintstone? Red Skelton's Freddie the Freeloader? In the third grade I came home from school crying. An older cousin was there visiting. He caringly put me on his lap, gently put his arm around me, wiped my tears away, then told me that if I'd stop getting upset they'd stop making fun of my name. That dirty dog lied. The only thing that happened was that I quit minding it. Even my nieces and nephews to this day call me Aunt Fred.