Why I have one T in my name.

All my life I have been contending with people who, having the best of intentions, correct the spelling of my name to include two t's. While I have always appreciated their intention, even in my youth, I have always preferred to have my name spelled as it was left after the interesting incident.

The most recent well-intentioned folks were at the Island County office where I registered to vote. On the registration form I filled out "Scot" and wrote, in small letters, "Only one t in my name." Despite that little note someone managed to correct my name once more.

So, here's the story, as told to me by my mom:

My mother was born in 1919, and I was born in 1965, three days shy of her 46th birthday. She actually started having kids when she was 36, with my oldest brother.

Now, she tells me that after her second child she had another pregnancy that failed. At that time she asked the doctor to tie her (fallopian) tubes to prevent further pregnancies. The doctor, being both concerned about the concerns of even that minor surgery and about moral issues of cutting off her fertility (it's the buckle of the Bible Belt we're talking about), refused to tie her tubes. "You're old enough now that I'm sure God is done giving you children.

In 1960 God proved the doctor wrong, and another boy was born. The doctor again said "no". Two or three years later she had another failed pregnancy, and again he said no, saying "this was probably a sign that this is the last one." In 1965 I came along and he threw up his hands and agreed to tie her tubes.

Shortly after I was born they prepper her for the procedure. General anesthesia was the order of the day, and she had just recieved her first dose when the nurse swept in and asked for my name. The nurse got my middle name just fine but had to ask my mom to spell my first name. "S...C...O...T......" and out she goes. So the nurse left it at one T.

My dad wanted to fix it, but my mom, in her loving wisdom, said it would make a great story for the rest of my life, and so it has. Once folks hear the story they pretty much stop fixing my name.

So, there you go, now you know why.