When Andersens meet

How to make your child feel special

Gothenburg, today: My colleague and I run into two Swedes at the university department we are visiting. We are shaking hands and exchanging greetings as an awful truth becomes apparent: We all share the same, God-forbiddingly boring Scandinavian trademark surname - Andersen.

Some would argue that such a common name is a gift from above - how can it ever be misspelt? I will tell you how. Andersens, due to their utter commonness, have developed a strong need to differ. How do you differ if you are an Andersen? You fidget with that surname of yours until it looks special. This is how the four of us, although we were called exactly the same, had still ended up with 3 different varieties: Andersen, Anderssen and Andersson. I would like to conclude by pointing out that the best Andersen of them all is my father, who, bowing to his fate, proudly bears the special-common name of Anders Anderssen. Beat that, Ola Normann!