Choosing a child’s name is an incredibly personal experience, and yet, everyone and their mother — literally — will have an opinion on it. That’s why more and more parents are choosing to keep their child’s chosen name a secret until it is officially signed on the birth certificate. One mom is likely wishing she had after hearing her own mother’s intense reaction.
In a post on Mumsnet, a new grandmother took to her keyboard to ask if she was being unreasonable for refusing to babysit over her daughter’s name choice.
“I’m thrilled to be a grandma at last,” she wrote of her “lovely and healthy” grandson. “I was over the moon when she asked if I’d help out with childcare now and then once she’s back at work. Of course I said yes, that’s what families do.”
But apparently, the familial obligation had limits.
The woman dropped a “bombshell” of an unconventional baby name: Wolfie. The grandmother explained that the mom was inspired by an “influencer” on social media and is signing the birth certificate with that as the name officially.
“Now I don’t want to be cruel, but it just sounds absolutely ridiculous,” the grandmother huffed. “A baby, fine, but imagine a grown man introducing himself at a job interview as Wolfie. Or me at the WI trying to tell people I’m looking after Wolfie this afternoon. I can’t even say it without laughing.”
So, she threw an ultimatum at her daughter.
“I told her straight that if she insists on calling him that, I won’t be able to babysit,” she confessed in her post. “I simply couldn’t keep a straight face and I honestly think it’s cruel to saddle a child with a silly name just because it’s trendy. She accused me of being dramatic and old-fashioned, but honestly, has the world gone mad?”
People had mixed reactions to the grandmother’s plight.
“I think you’re being horribly unreasonable to blackmail her into changing it,” one follower told her straight up. “What do you think will happen? She’ll run a list by you? By the sounds of things she’s never going to choose Andrew or whatever you deem acceptable.”
On the other hand, some commenters were supportive of her choice to stand her ground on her opinion.
“I know people will be on to say it’s her choice etc. and he’s your grandson so you should put up with it, but it’s about time people thought about what they’re saddling their child with,” shared another person. “Absolutely ridiculous name.”
“Well, if you are so shallow that you’d miss out on spending time with your grandson just because of his name, then he’s probably better off without you,” another person bluntly commented before adding, “Wolfie is a ridiculous name though.”
In the US, Wolfie is the 6,854th most popular name for newborns according to BabyCenter. So although it is very rare, it’s not unheard of.
