Not everyone is going to agree with people’s choices of baby names.
Some names are purposefully different.
Some names will have a secret meaning only the parents share.
It’s a personal matter.
But that doesn’t stop others from having… thoughts.
A deleted Redditor wanted to discuss her experience and get some feedback. So naturally, she came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.
She asked:
“AITA For laughing at the name my sister chose for her baby?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“For context, I (28 F[emale]) attended a family dinner with my Mom, Dad, and sister (26 F) yesterday.”
“My sister is due to give birth soon and decided this dinner would be the perfect time to announce the name she chose for her first child.”
“My sister has always been obsessed with aesthetics; her whole house is beige and rather depressing if I’m honest.”
“The whole nursery she built for the baby is beige and grey and will not accept colorful gifts for the baby.”
“I can tell her husband hates it, but he won’t admit it.”
“Now here is the issue, I am very prone to laughing at inappropriate times.”
“I am autistic and find it hard to filter what I say and my emotions, which can lead to me reacting to things in ways that can offend people.”
“I didn’t think this would cause issues until she revealed the name of her baby.”
“So, we are all done with our dinner, we are looking at my sister as announces her baby will be named…”
“Brookleeigh-Willow Rose [Insert Surname, not including it for privacy].”
“Spelt EXACTLY like that.”
“And then I burst out laughing, and said ‘You cannot be serious.'”
“I am now banned from all family dinners.”
The OP was left to wonder:
“Is the name really that bad? Was I really a massive a**hole?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Many Redditors declared OP WAS the A**hole.
“Oh sweet dear vegetable, I mean broccoli, I mean Brook..ly?”
“That kid will be laughed about her name behind her back her entire childhood, but hey, Mom gets to be unique.”
“Pardon me, uneakquei.”
“Soft YTA.” ~ Snakeinyourgarden
“YTA. I’m A[utism] S[pectrum] D[isorder] as well and we all have a responsibility to deal with whatever brain flavors got handed to us in ways that enable us to interact decently with the world around us.”
“You being autistic doesn’t justify laughing at your sister’s name.”
“Did you try to apologize?”
“Or do you use your autism as a get-out-of-jail-free card (which others rightly don’t accept)?” ~ cascadia1979
“YTA about bursting out laughing (as ugly as that name is), but I feel *so* bad for this kid.”
“Only beige?”
“That is NOT healthy for babies.”
“They NEED color!” ~ prismprotectorII
“YTA, but it’s a shame she didn’t listen to you and lose the Brookleeigh part of the name.” ~ mom_in_the_garden
“Um. I’m gonna say YTA, but a justified one.”
“The poor child.”
“That poor poor child.”
“No one else likes it either.”
“They’re just afraid to say it because they of being banned.” ~ Country-girl7053
“YTA. Just the way you speak about your sister, who has different opinions and views to your own, tells me you have an overinflated sense of superiority around things that don’t concern you.”
“Who cares if she likes aesthetics and neutral colors?”
“She’s not hurting anyone but you are with an attitude like that.”
“Is Brookeleeigh a stupid name?”
“Of course, but the kid will shorten it to Brooke as soon as she’s old enough to talk, and this will work itself out.”
“Beige walls are also not child abuse.”
“I grew up in an aesthetic home as both my dads are very into home decor, and they were still good parents even if the house wasn’t colorful and my toys were out of sight.”
‘I have my own house now that’s colorful – maybe that’s why, but aside from different design opinions, this is another non-issue.” ~ princessro123
“Ultimately, your niece won‘t cart around her full name, anyway, I can promise you.”
“She’ll go by Rook, Wills, ‘Boo Thee Rose’ (like Megan Thee Stallion) and all of this will go by the wayside.
“Parents who give their kids these huge fancy pants names don’t seem to understand that the kids will take only a portion of the name(s) and mold it into something unique to them and their little hoodlum friends.”
“Ask me how I know.”
“On the other hand, had I been there, I would have barked out a laugh too, and though I suspect I’m on the spectrum, I’ve never been diagnosed at my advanced age.”
“By the way, I was so horrified at hearing one of my grandnephew’s names that I just stood there with my jaw hanging open and couldn’t even respond.”
“Predictably, he goes by something not terrible.” ~ neverbrandisskirt
“YTA but you are a correct a**hole lol. Poor kid.
“Yeah haha, like there’s no getting around the fact that making fun of someone’s baby name is kinda a**hole-ish, but some things are just asking to be mocked.”
“If she’s into ‘aesthetics’ she should try picking names/colors that are actually good.” ~ dammitgabe4
“ESH. The banning is weird, to disown you over this seems like a big reaction.”
“I’m guessing you’re either exaggerating or this isn’t the first incident.”
“You’re more than old enough to notice that people don’t like being laughed at and more than old enough to know that it doesn’t get your point across (especially as you had a point! The name sounds like broccoli).”
“Learning techniques to help you stop blurting things out really should have been addressed when you were a kid, but it’s not too late to take responsibility now you’re an adult.”
“Mindfulness techniques, pause and breathe, mental checklists, etc.” ~ stophittingthyself
“ESH, laughing was rude, your family banning you from all family dinners is an extreme overreaction, and your sister is 99% likely to be a bad parent (based on how you’ve described her).” ~ Aihaya07
“ESH, sadly, but a particularly emphatic smh for that poor kid.”
“‘Brookleeigh?'”
“She is going to have to spell that name out EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME she says it to someone, for the rest of her life.”
“However not Brooklee, which is at least an existing spelling of that name??” ~ JamesFirmere
“Personally, I like Willow Rose.”
“As a teacher, I see loads of names and an assortment of spellings for each one.”
“For me, the worst ones are when the parent spells their child’s name wrong.”
“But I guess it shouldn’t really matter.”
“I only tell my husband and my Mum when I dislike a family name, but I don’t feel that bad because everyone told me when they hated the name I wanted to call my second son.”
“I was annoyed at first, but I then reflected on their objections and dropped it.”
“They were right.”
“I don’t think they burst out laughing, though.”
“It’s all about delivery!” ~ essymay
“Willow Rose is beautiful.”
“The rest is not.”
“YTA – for using your disability to try to make your inappropriate response better.”
“But my God, that child will be bullied, and she will change her name.”
“As someone with an awful first name, my kids have normal names. lol.” ~ snoooozin
“YTA but Ooooof I get it too.”
“Glad you called and mended fences.”
“Though the whole banned from family dinners bit is extreme!”
“It honestly sounds like she would have double-hyphenated the first name if that was allowed 😅 poor kid!”
“I guess she will probably be one of those kids that never goes by their actual name but at least she’s got plenty of options for nicknames… lol.” ~ OneMoreCookie
“Sister needs to stay in her aesthetics lane and name the kid Greige.”
“YTA, though I wish it wasn’t true.”
“It’s not on you to announce your sister’s idiocy like you did or at all.”
“Glad you apologized.”
“Probs should start stockpiling birthday/holiday cards for the kid now… Gonna burn through a whole lot of them trying to get heeeeer name just right.” ~ AuntieMeridium
“YTA simply for using your autism as an excuse when you clearly know better.”
“Just because we weren’t born with filters doesn’t mean we aren’t intelligent enough to learn how to behave.” ~ VociferousReapers
“YTA! Gonna have to learn to fake it sometimes or not say anything.”
“Also, the name is absolutely horrible and the kid will probably be teased.” ~ mwilso1653
“Gentle YTA – I probably would have laughed too.”
“The sister is giving her sad beige baby a r/tragedeigh of a name.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the kid corrects the spelling once she’s old enough to legally do so.” ~ FinalGirl1993
“YTA but you’re a justified one.”
“I’m glad you smoothed things over.”
“I feel bad for your B[rother]-I[n]-L[aw] and your future niece though.”
“This makes me think of that post from OffMyChest, it may have been, of the husband who was so worn down by his wife’s obsession with aesthetics and refusal to let their kid just enjoy things that they got a divorce.”
“I very sincerely hope things turn out better for your family.” ~ VThaddeusToadEsq
“YTA. She didn’t ask for advice or approval.”
“My question is more about spelling and punctuation.”
“Is the first name hyphenated and how do you spell it?”
“Can you just call your niece by the nickname? Like ‘Sam’?”
“Of course, any monogrammed baby close need to be appropriate.”
“What are the initials?”
“Would have been better to ask her to write it down so you could remember it.”
“Rose will be the likely name that is used.”
“Easy way to avoid confusion.”
“A name is for communication.” ~ Ultimatesource
“YTA… that is truly an atrocious name, but your reaction WAS hurtful and inappropriate.”
“It’s her kid and she has every right to give her kid a dumbass name, unfortunately.” ~ MagicWagic623
OP came back with an update…
“After writing this post, I decided to call my sister and apologize, as when I wrote down what happened, I did realize what a d**k move that was.”
“I said I was sorry for laughing, and I apologized for using my mental disability as an excuse and offered to treat her to lunch as an apology.”
“Understandably, she was reluctant to forgive me, but she did, which I am thankful for.”
“She said she was hurt by my actions, which I understood but was willing to look past it.”
“I knew posting this story on here would give me the slap in the face that I needed which I appreciate.”
“And if anyone’s wondering, the name is staying.”
“I didn’t comment at all on it.”
It’s always nice to get an update.
It’s also nice to hear that you owned up to your mistakes, OP.
You had an awkward reaction, not the end of the world.
But it’s always good to acknowledge when one does wrong to others.
Good on you.
