Thanks! I only use the name Laney on the net. It's a long story...but a bittersweet one.
My real name is Elaine. When I was little, like your daughter only one person in my life ever called me Laney. It was my great Uncle Jimmy. He was an alcoholic and everything that went with it, but he was a sweet drunk. I had a tough childhood with parents though always attentive to my physical needs had trouble reaching out to their children emotionally. So, my uncle was very special to me. The day he died when I was 12 was the last time anyone in my life ever called me Laney.
When I was 26, my first husband passed away. I was pregnant with my daughter and devastated beyond belief. This was 1995 and the internet was really just starting to be a place for people to "hang out". So, when I logged on to AOL, and found a support group for Widowed people to help me I decided I would be Laney. It was a name I found comfort in.
Now, in Uncle Jimmy's honor, I'm Laney when I'm online. A little bit of the little girl that he loved.
Laney