To Devil Woman, With Love — The Power of Names in Your Phone Contacts

My phone is boring. All my phone contacts have their actual real names listed. Some might be missing a last name or have a description (i.e. Tree Guy), but other than that, the names are just names.

Some of my clients are much more creative. I have seen the other parent of their children listed in their phone contacts as “Satan,” “Spawn of Satan,” “Devil Woman,” and more. While I appreciate creativity, I’ll give you three good reasons to change your phone contact name to something less inflammatory.

Why Change “Creative” Phone Contacts

1) You do not want the judge to see it. Many times I use screenshots of messages (or even the actual phone) to prove my client’s position to the court. Having a message with “The Evil One” at the top does not make a good impression on the judge. It might help you lose your argument and will probably earn you a lecture.

Screenshot of a pretend text message from one parent to another

An example of what NOT to do when you text your ex.

2) You do not want your kids to see it. That other person is their parent. You probably showed love and affection to the other parent in your children’s presence in the past. Do you want your kids to think that at some point you will turn on them that way? Showing respect to the other parent in your children’s presence, regardless of circumstances, is always the way to go.

3) You will feel better. How do you feel now when you look at your phone and see that Satan sent you a message? Sure, it was funny for 5 minutes when you showed your friends or buddies. Now, change it to something else.

Use your creativity for good! What creative name can you come up with for the phone contact of the mother or father of your child? “Mother of my Children.” “Elliot’s Dad.” “Sarah Smith.”

Names have power. Let that power carry you toward more positive interactions with your child’s other parent.