Choosing a baby name isn’t always easy. Expecting parents sometimes have different ideas when it comes to naming a child. And when you throw family members’ unsolicited opinions into the mix, things can get even more tense.
For this reason, many parents-to-be opt to wait until after their baby is born to announce the moniker they’ve chosen. That way, friends and family can’t persuade them to reconsider (or, hopefully, share their unfiltered reactions) because it’s already said and done and on the birth certificate. One Reddit user is at her wits’ end, however, because her family won’t stop trying to convince her to change her newborn daughter’s name.
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A new mom on Reddit explained that she and her husband waited to announce their daughter's name until after she was born.
On September 20, a 29-year-old new mom shared her situation in Reddit’s AITA forum. She and her husband welcomed a baby girl they named Sloane 14 weeks ago and only revealed her name after she was born.
“The reason for this is because I knew my family didn’t like the name Sloane and would spend their time trying to talk us out of the name,” the OP explained in her post.
Evidently, the OP knew ahead of time that her family would not approve of the name Sloane.
As the OP explained, there was a girl in her class from first to third grade named Sloane. She told her family at the time that she thought the name was “really cool,” but her parents insisted it “wasn’t even a real name.”
The OP added, “I brought it up a few times. But I remember the negativity. I even remember my mom pitying her because of it.” At one point, her mom even said Sloane was an “ugly name” and “felt bad” for the girl.
The new mom thought that by announcing her baby girl's moniker after she was born, her family would accept it.
“You might think that the name being official and on the birth certificate would deter any negativity on the name. But since my daughter’s name was announced my family have wanted to ‘sit and discuss’ the name,” the new mom continued in her Reddit thread. “They said they never believed I would seriously carry on and name my daughter Sloane. I shut them down and told them I did and that was that.”
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Her family has called her 'childish' for refusing to hear them out.
The OP is at the point where she refuses to further discuss her daughter’s name with her family.
“I ignore them via text if I have to or end calls. I left my sisters house just a week ago because they tried to bring it up,” she shared. “They told me it’s childish to run away from a serious discussion. I said we have nothing to discuss. That my husband and I had our discussion on the name and that was the only one that needed to happen.”
The PO added, “They told me a part of being a family is hearing each other out and I’m being childish by refusing their requests.” Now, she wonders if she’s being an a–hole.
In the comments, Redditors resoundingly agreed: She's not.
As one Reddit user wrote, “NTA. Go with what you want. The only other consideration is whether the name you choose will cause any embarrassment to your kid as they grow up. If not then you’re all set.”
Another person agreed and shared a tidbit of advice, commenting, “NTA. Don’t let your daughter be alone with anyone that criticizes her name. I guarantee that they will call her a different name behind your back.”
Yet another Redditor suggested a tongue-in-cheek response, writing, “They sound utterly insufferable. Start nicknaming each one of them words that rhyme with Sloane to their faces because you can and there isn’t a thing they can do to stop you.”
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
