DR. WALLACE: I'm 19, married, and six months pregnant with our first child. I love my husband dearly and he is the love of my life. However, I can't say the same about his mother.

We are going to have a little girl and we want to name her Amanda. I have always liked that name and I knew that if I ever had a baby girl, her name would be Amanda. My own mother told me she doesn't care what the baby's name will be just so she is healthy. My mother-in-law thinks that she should have a say in naming our daughter. My husband's grandmother was named Pearl, so that's the name my mother-in-law is pushing for.

I'm sorry, but none of my daughters (if I'm blessed to have more than one) will be named Pearl. Now my husband's mother is appealing to her son to convince me that Pearl would be an excellent name for our daughter. Yesterday, my husband told me that he likes the name Pearl and wondered if I would reconsider. Then he got me really upset.

He said, "You like the name Amanda and I like the name Pearl. I've got as much to say about her name as you do." I wasn't kind when I gave him the dirtiest look ever. Knowing that he had to retreat, he finally came up with the idea to flip a coin. He said if it came up heads, the name Amanda would be chosen, but if it came up tails, she would be named Pearl.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told him our daughter's name was going to be Amanda and that was it. I then told him that I would not consider Pearl as a middle name. Then he said, "I love you very much, but you have made me very unhappy." As he walked out of the room, I said, "better that you're unhappy than me." He then muttered something about going to visit his mother.

Do you think I've done something wrong by eliminating the name Pearl from any part of our daughter's name? I'm really not a pushy person. My husband and I have a beautiful relationship and marriage. We are deeply in love. Let's just say that this is our first real disagreement.

When my husband and I were discussing possible names for our daughter, he never once mentioned the name Pearl. His favorites were: 1. Ashley, 2. Hannah, and 3. Samantha. Pearl is the choice of his mother and she has put pressure on him to put pressure on me. No way, Jose! I'm eager to hear your answer. — Nameless, Montgomery, Ala.

NAMELESS: Your baby should be blessed with a name you and your husband select. Grandparents can offer suggestions for a name, but must keep quiet if their name is not selected.

Your husband's mother should have no say in the baby's name and your husband should tell her in a very nice tone of voice that the name Pearl is not an option.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.