Woman pleads with sister to avoid baby name that she 'can't read without crying'

01 September 2023 , 11:55

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The woman begged the parents to reconsider (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An expecting mum has been left unsure if she can go ahead with the baby name she loves after her sister-in-law begged her to reconsider. The happy parents planned to name their newborn in tribute to the father's own parents.

Tragically, the dad-to-be lost his mother and father a few months ago. As such, he hoped to name their baby after one of them, opting for his mum's name if he welcomes a girl or his dad's name if he welcomes a boy. But the sweet gesture did not go down well with his sister when she discovered the couple's plan.

Sharing what happened in a post to Babycentre, the baby's mum explained that her sister-in-law is set against the idea. "[Sister-in-law] kicked off saying it wasn't fair to her and would really upset her as she couldn't see or write their full names without crying. She said she didn't like the names and told us we should choose something more modern. She said it would also upset other family members," wrote the expecting mum.

She added that she thought the relative's behaviour was "very controlling", especially since her sister-in-law and another family member started "openly suggesting alternatives that they prefer."

Her post continued: "Niece said she had planned to use [ mother-in-law's / father-in-law's] name as middle names for her children so that may be why she's trying to change our minds. However she's a generation removed compared to [my husband] she's still very young, not in a relationship and whilst it may be important to her, [my husband] and I have a real baby on the way that needs a name more than her hypothetical future children."

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As such, the mum was struggling to decide if she and her partner should go ahead with their idea, given it's her partner's "only opportunity to name a child and the names are important to him." "[Am I being unreasonable] for ignoring them completely, even if it upsets their family and sticking with what my husband wants (no matter what)?" she asked.

In response, commenters were quick to reassure the mum, defending the parents' right to choose. One reply read: "Never ever talk about baby names with people.. because you'll always get opinions you don't want!! Name your child what you want and ignore everyone else."

A second said: "I can understand why it could cause some upset but it's not that unusual for people to do. And why will it upset [sister-in-law] if it's your baby but if it's her grandchildren it's fine. The only people who are entitled to an opinion is you and your [other half]. Someone else added: "You using the names doesn't prevent your niece using them as middle names."

Amber O'Connor