Finding the right name for your first child is always a challenge.
Even for people who had their first born's name chosen more or less their entire life.
However, they may grow up to discover that their partner might have had other ideas when it came to names.
And even though it's not their decision to make, friends and family often can't help but share their own opinions as to what soon-to-be parents should name their children either.
Redditor User593768's family had an ongoing tradition when it came to names.
A tradition the original poster (OP) couldn't wait to break when it came time to name his first child.
Unfortunately, when the OP's family learned that his new son's name would not be in keeping with the family tradition, their reaction was anything but understanding.
Wondering if he was being inconsiderate towards his family, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**Hole". (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for not keeping up the family tradition?"
The OP explained why he found himself at odds with his family owing to his son's new name:
"My (25 M[ale]) wife (24 F[emale]) gave birth to our son two weeks ago."
"My family has had the tradition of naming the child months of the year for 5 generations on my mum's side."
"My name is December (I've shortened it to Dec hoping people will think it's short for Declan or something normal), my brothers are called August (not so common in the UK) and July (poor guy, nothing you can do about that one) and my sisters are called April, June and May (not so bad)."
"My wife and I called our son Tobias."
"We kept the name a secret until after he was born and we had signed the birth certificate so it couldn't be changed."
"When we told my parents a week ago, they were most certainly not happy."
"Even though my dad has the nice normal name of Alex, he liked the tradition."
"My sister, June, named her daughter March to keep with the tradition so my parents expected me to do the same."
"My mum continually said that we should call the baby September for a girl and October for a boy throughout the pregnancy."
"I never outright said I wasn't going to because I know what lengths they would go to to make sure my baby would have a month as a name."
"My brothers were on board when we told them, understanding growing up with the teasing."
"My parents left after saying we were disrespecting my heritage by not following the tradition."
"I told them I wasn't going to name my child a ridiculous name because some old, long dead, crazy man decided months of the year would be good names and just because my mum was stupid enough to join him and his madness, didn't mean I had to."
"They stormed out and haven't spoken to me since."
"My sisters have said I should have just named him a month to keep the peace and I'm an a**hole for insulting my mum and her family."
"I feel as though I'm just looking out for what's best for my son."
"My family seems to think my wife has 'brainwashed' me into calling him something normal even though I have never made it a secret that I hate my name."
"So am I the a**hole?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You're the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
The Reddit community was in agreement that the OP was not the a**hole for not giving his son a calendar-related name.
While some felt he could have handled the situation with a bit more grace, just about everyone agreed that the "month naming" tradition was his parents, not his, and he and his wife not only had every right to choose any name they wanted for their child but were also more than entitled to start traditions of their own:
"NTA."
"Traditions like this deserve to be broken."
"Your dead ancestors really do not give two sh*ts what you call your kids and are incapable of any disrespect from you."
"Your parents are the only ones offended and it's not your responsibility to keep the peace."
"It's theirs to respect your decision and try to move past it and have a functioning relationship with you."
"Good for you for doing this btw."- ReviewOk929
"NTA."
"The boy options apart from August (and that makes me think of Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) are weak."
"You'd go through life hating the name and he would probably go through life getting bullied."
"Even as a middle name, I don't see why you should be bullied into something you don't want."
"But let me get this straight - it isn't even related to the month the child was born, given your Mum wanted September for a girl and October for a boy?"
"April, May and June are ok for girls, but only if the parents actually liked the names."
"But the whole thing seems very random and kind of like a tradition that needs to just fade out."
"Your son will thank you later and your mother will get over it eventually."- KBobbetyBobbins
"NTA."
"But you could have tried a different argument."
"You married your wife."
"She has a strong tradition of not naming any family member (even pets) to the months of the year, and you two indeed followed the family tradition - just not yours."- LightPhotographer
"NTA."
"It is your child."
"Family traditions are not always a good thing."- beastmanmode45
"NTA."
"Your kid, your choice in names."
"Also:"
"It's not like you were breaking tradition by not naming him after a beloved, deceased relative (you'd still not be the ah if you did break that tradition)."
"With only 12 months and this going on for 5 generations, that must mean that there are so many duplicate names for different family members."
"There is nothing wrong with that, but if it were me I would not want my child to be one of the 10 (or whatever) people named after a particular month."- Hello_JustSayin
"NTA."
"As always, the people who created and are raising the child get to choose the name."
"And the people whining about tradition and disrespect can go kick rocks."- buttercupgrump
"It's his NAME but your sisters think you should just call him September or whatever to 'keep the peace'?"
"Tell them they're welcome to call their children carrot or office chair or beer can if it makes them happy but you and your wife actually love your baby so you're giving him a name that won't get him beaten up or bullied."
"You have one nutty family, thankfully you survived with your common sense intact."
"NTA."- forgetregret1day
"Oh my good giddy aunt NTA."
"Your child, your choice."
"For what it is worth, I completely 100% agree with you OP."
"ANY month is a terrible name for a boy, and for the girls, only a few match well enough."
"I agree your dad can't say much, given he hasn't had to grow up with a bad name."
"And 'keeping the peace' is fine with decisions that only affect yourself with consequences you are willing to bear, but to make your son go through his formative years with a name likely to have him ridiculed?"
"This is insane beyond belief."
"You are VERY much NTA."- Boddokki
"NTA."
"One of my favorite comedians, Ralphie May, named his April and August, since those were the months they were born in, and since his last name was May, it kind of worked out."
"RIP Ralphie."
"You can name your child whatever you want, and your family has no say-so in the matter."
"You chose a strong classic name for your son, one that won't get him bullied, or picked on, as he goes through life."
"If your family doesn't understand that, that's their problem, not yours."- Srvntgrrl_789
"NTA."
"You are not the a**hole and you control the magic golden ticket."
"The baby!"
"You control access to the baby!"
"Anyone who wants to visit The Baby! will learn to stop mentioning the name or arguing about ridiculous traditions."
"They can have all the feelings they want in the privacy of their own home but the new rule is that anyone who argues about the name will need to go home and try again in a week/month whatever you decide."
"Now is a lovely time to establish a new family tradition of respecting each other's boundaries."
"Send them all a text that you are so excited to have them meet the baby but that anyone who tries to argue about the name in person, over text or by phone will be muted or asked to head home."
"The prepare to practice."
"After 5-10 tries I think they'll catch on."- capmanor1755
There's nothing wrong with upholding family traditions.
As long as they are traditions that make everyone happy.
When this ceases to be the case, perhaps it's time to reevaluate... and possibly start a new tradition.
Seeing how unhappy the OP and his brothers were with their names, the names of the OP's family seem like a tradition that is badly in need of changing.
Woman Asks If It's Wrong To Hold Grudge After Mom Told Her When She 8 Years Old That She Wished She'd Aborted Her
While some people view having and raising children as the greatest blessing, some parents hold their children's existence against them for their entire lives.
And when they feel that way about their children, they're unfortunately typically pretty honest about it, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor heavelymango knew from the time she was young that her mother did not really like her and significantly favored her sister.
But when her mother told her at the age of eight that she wished she had aborted her, the Original Poster (OP) held on to that grudge for years after the fact.
She asked the sub:
The OP had a grudge against her mother.
"I (22 Female) have been holding onto a grudge due to something my mom told me when I was roughly eight or nine years old."
"Growing up, I was a rebellious kid and always felt as if my mom favored my older sister. My sister would always get whatever she wanted."
"I know she was born with Down syndrome and always needed more attention and care, but if my sister wanted my tablet, for example, she would have it for the whole day while mine was limited to 30 minutes so she could have it."
"As a kid, I lashed out more because of this. She could take all of my things, but I could never use hers."
During a heated moment, the OP's mother said something unforgivable.
"Eventually, this led to an argument with my mom. I don't recall the whole thing, but it was related to my sister and how I felt my mom didn't care about me or give me the same amount of attention."
"The fight got heated, and I probably told my mom that I hated my sister and her."
"I remember she said back, 'I never wanted you from the start. I knew I should've aborted you when I had the chance.'"
" I didn't know what aborted meant at the time, and I remember I looked it up, and it made me cry. I never forgot it, and it lingers in my mind whenever I am home."
The OP's mother pressured her to "let it go" and move on.
"Even growing up, I still brought it up, and she would get mad, saying I need to let it go and how I'm stubborn for not just forgetting what she said."
"There was even a time in high school when she took me to a therapist, and she complained about how I never dropped what she said."
"She says I need to move on from it because it has affected my relationship with her, and she wants to fix it."
"I know I'm older now and it was so long ago, but it still hurts, and I feel like it's made me not want to have her in my life in the future, and I have told this to her."
"How I don't want her in my life once I move out, get married, or have my own kids."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that this sounded like a core memory more than a grudge.
"The axe forgets. The tree remembers."
"It sounds less like you're holding a grudge and more that this is a formative, core memory for you."
"It won't stop being a core memory (unless maybe with the help of a lot of therapy). Has your mom ever apologized for saying that? Because you don't have to forget to forgive, but if she's not remorseful for saying that terrible thing to her young child (not just remorseful that you remember it), then she probably needs therapy (or is a narcissist/sociopath/similar)."
"You are certainly not obligated to 'get over it.'" - Hot-Can3615
"This is not a 'grudge'; it is pain that is still felt to such a degree. If she said it, then she was thinking it. She'll probably never apologize, but that doesn't mean your pain is or was invalid." - Fast_Register_9480
"NOR. This kind of thing needs a real apology. Like she needs to acknowledge the damage and genuinely care about it. Brushing it off won’t make it go away." - TentacleWolverine
"NOR. Did she really want to fix things? She basically just told you to get over it from the start instead of giving you a sincere apology."
"That isn't working on anything. She wants you to get over it so she can pretend that she never said it, so she doesn't have to feel bad about what she did. It doesn't sound like she cares much about how you feel."
"She just doesn't want to deal with it. For that reason, I would still have issues with what she said." - Chemical-Ad6809
"If your relationship with your mother is being affected by the actions of your mother, your mother is responsible for fixing it."
"You should know you probably aren't ever going to get closure, but you don't have to swallow it down. It helps to be the person you needed when you were younger out loud to yourself, but especially to others."
"For example: My name is Liz, and my mom told me to go ahead and do it already and save us all the heartache when I finally had the courage to tell her about how much I've been struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. I'm never going to forgive her for that, and we have never been close as a result of her actions."
"You aren't holding onto a grudge; you have a core memory of your mother distilling her feelings into a world-shattering sentence."
"You did not have a secure attachment before and can't have one now because of the deep trauma. You do not apologize for being stabbed."
"Find another therapist. I mean it. Someone who cares about your well-being wouldn't force you to apologize for being verbally abused as a child. I'm 29 now, and I lived through it. I still struggle with suicidal ideation daily, but once I stopped relying on my mom and unstable sources for support, my life got better immediately."
"You want things for comfort and familiarity. Don't let your mom or your therapist gaslight you into crossing a boundary."
"It might help to ask for a written five-part apology from your mom. 1. Acknowledge what you did 2. Say why it was wrong 3. Promise not to do it again 4. Ask how to make amends. 5. Share your feelings at this time if there's anything you'd like to say."
"My mom can be a good person and a bad mom and role model. Being in your own company is so much better than poor company." - PotLuckyPodcast
Others hoped the OP would go no contact with her mother sooner rather than later.
"NOR. It’s emotional abuse. And you do not owe her closeness after that, especially as she refuses to be accountable for that and try to make it up to you."
"She knows you have her number, and she can’t forgive you for knowing what a colloidal b***h she is."
"It’s unlikely that will change; it will at least be turned back on you with her the victim."
"Stop expecting her to apologize. If she doesn’t pay your bills, ghost her." - SnooCheesecakes2723
"My mom said something similar. My brother and I were adopted, and when I was a teen, in front of a church lady, she said, 'We didn't even really want you, but the people didn't want to split y'all up, so we just took you, too.'"
"Me and the church lady were shook. When I say my falbbers were ghasted. Like huh? She didn't remember saying that when I brought it up years after the fact."
"I also got grounded two times for two separate nine weeks (for C's on my report card) and a three and a half to four months (for smoking at 16 and getting caught because she liked to just pop up out of nowhere), and we just had a talk about that, and she didn't even remember."
"She said, 'No, I didn't. I never grounded you for that long,' and when I gave my rebuttal, she said, 'Well, if I did, it definitely wasn't for no nine weeks or months,' and this started because she was praising me for reading so much and liking books. I said, 'Well, when you were grounded like me, that's all I could do (no TV, no friends outside of school, no music, nothing but my room and books)."
"There's a reason I only call or answer her calls once or twice every few weeks. And I only call to get food, really..." - ManicalMoe
"‘Fine, I'm sorry’ is not an apology."
"Whilst I’m sure it was said in anger, most things said in anger have a grain of truth. There are also some things that no half-decent parent ever says to their children, no matter how angry they are, and this is one of them! It also sounds like she has made repeated similar comments of not wanting you as her child."
"I understand her eldest had a disability, but this is no excuse for neglecting and emotionally abusing her younger child. Lots of families deal with a child with additional needs whilst still managing to prioritise their other kids. Children with Down syndrome are capable of understanding ‘that’s your sister's, not yours; give it back’ !! It sounds like your mum has mental health issues?"
"Do you have a present father or other family you can turn to?"
"Protect your peace. Your mum has hurt you time and time again, honestly, for no real gain other than momentarily satisfying her anger. You owe this woman nothing." - Background_Term9810
"I went through something similar. When I was a little girl, my mother used to make comments that implied she didn't want me, though it was never that explicit. 'I only had you because your brother wanted a sister,' and 'My figure never recovered after you; after your brother, it did.'"
"Each comment stayed with me, but I never addressed it with her. I tried to move on and leave it in the past. She did a lot of horrible things throughout my life, but her behavior was always ignored because that's the precedent my dad set, where she can do essentially whatever she wants."
"A few months ago, she came to see me because I was desperate for help and sick. Instead of helping, she made my life so much worse. I won't go into details. At one point, I could no longer keep it inside, and I told her that she is a narcissist, to which she responded with, 'It would have been better if I had never had you.'"
"In some ways, it felt really good to hear her come out and say it. It felt good to hear the truth I've always known."
"I don't know what you should do, but I've chosen to not forgive."
"Every time I forgave, I just let her know that she can get away with whatever horrible things she had done. Her apologies were never real apologies. She always found ways to blame me or others for whatever she had done."
"And I'm truly just done with it. As sad as it is to not have a mom, it's sadder to pretend that you have one when in reality you don't... quite the opposite, if anything." - Neos_Mom
"So, OP, what will hurt more: keeping her and the grudge in your life or making a break and going low or no contact with her?"
"Frankly, we've no idea of what she might have been dealing with at the time, but regardless, what she said was said only to cause pain and suffering. 'Sorry' doesn't magic that intent away."
"Me, I think spending time alone or with friends or in therapy away from her might be what you need here. You might come to some sort of acceptance, but if this is something that's just going to keep coming between you, then stop trying to have that relationship." - Tal_Tos_72
After the OP received feedback, she shared a few clarifications from her original post.
"I wanted to clear some things up, take accountability where it's due, and provide some much-needed context from many people commenting the same questions."
"I want to be completely honest. We had many arguments, and I was a rebellious kid. I acted out and argued with my mom."
"I don't want to give off the impression that I was an entirely innocent kid who never did anything wrong and my mom just snapped out of nowhere. We both said hateful and hurtful things to each other during our fights."
"Growing up, the only way she would accept an apology was if I got on my knees and begged her for forgiveness. If I ever asked her to apologize to me, she would say, 'I have nothing to apologize for; you should be the one begging for my forgiveness.'"
The OP had a lot of physical memories, too.
"Things also would turn into physical arguments, not just verbal ones."
"There were times when she would get so angry she would get physical. Like yanking me by my hair, twisting my arms, or throwing things at me (like remotes, a bug spray can, or a radio)."
"When she yanked my hair, I would fight back just to get her to let me go, and she would scream that I was trying to kill her and she would get me arrested. When she twisted my arm, and I begged her to stop because it felt like it was going to break, she would say she hoped it did."
"When she threw objects at me, she would say she wished they would hit my face."
"I remember in middle school, during an argument, she said she wished she could break my face and that she hated it because I look like my dad. I won’t lie, whenever she said things like that, I would say nasty comments about how she chose to have him put us in her."
While the OP wasn't financially ready to move out yet, she hoped to as soon as possible.
"Why haven't I moved out yet? The main reason I haven't been able to move out is financial."
"I wasn't making enough to support myself without worrying about whether I’d end up having to crawl back home."
"Thankfully, I have recently found a better-paying job. My plan is to move out between mid-to-late October, or early November at the latest."
"The only reason I can't leave this exact second is because I have a few legal/administrative things to get cleared up so I’m completely untied from my mom, which will take a few weeks."
The OP also had proof that her mother liked her sister better.
"Has my mom ever admitted to favoring my sister? Yes."
"In arguments, she has explicitly told me that she doesn't see me as her legitimate daughter, and that she adored my sister more and forever will. She has also called me a 'monster,' told me there is a certain type of evil inside of me, and said she was afraid I would be just like my dad and try to harm them."
"She would even tell me that she was telling family and friends these things about me, but then later claim she 'just said it in the moment' and wouldn't be crazy enough to actually tell people that."
"Because I was so confused growing up and didn't know if she was lying or telling the truth, I started avoiding our family when they came over."
"Naturally, that just made things worse because she would get mad at me for avoiding them (even now as an adult), completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who lied about what she told them."
Unfortunately, the OP didn't have support from her father.
"What about my dad? My dad is not in my life."
"He was around sporadically, but never as a stable parent. My parents separated before I was born and divorced when I was two or three."
"Growing up, it was just constant back-and-forth toxicity, with him telling me how toxic my mother was, and her telling me the same about him."
"He would mostly only come over to see my sister, and often used me to care for her if he wanted to take her out to eat. Ultimately, my dad didn't care about anyone else other than my sister (and his drugs)."
"I hope this can clear some questions on the original post. I know I didn't provide many details as I originally should have. I honestly didn't want to post something too long, and I honestly did not expect it to be noticed."
"Thank you all for taking time to talk to me and share your thoughts."
The subReddit fully sided with the OP, pointing out that no matter how heated the moment was, it would never excuse the terrible things the OP's mother had said to her.
If the OP's mother really wanted a relationship with her, she'd drop the defensiveness and demands, offer a genuine apology, and work hard to be better for both of her children.
That takes a very rare kind of person to pull off, and it didn't sound like the OP's mother had that in her.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp