A pregnant woman has shared how her brother's teenage girlfriend demanded she change her chosen baby name at a family dinner, and broke down in tears when she refused.
Family Dinner Drama
Choosing a name for your newborn is something most parents agonise over for hours, desperate to settle on the perfect choice. But one expectant mother caused quite a stir when she revealed her daughter's name at a family dinner with her parents, brother, and his girlfriend.
Posting on Reddit, she described how her brother's 15-year-old girlfriend, Kaitlyn, dissolved into tears upon hearing the chosen baby name, insisting it was 'too close' to her own.
The 25-year-old explained: 'My mum asked if we had decided on a name and we told her we were thinking Kate. Kaitlyn spoke up and told us we couldn't do that as it was too close to her name.'
'I laughed because she couldn't have been serious but she was. She got mad at the laughing and said, 'When James (my brother) and I get married, I don't want to be Aunt Kaitlyn to a Kate. Some people even call me Kate.''
She gently tried to explain to Kaitlyn that secondary school relationships don't always stand the test of time — but this only prompted the teenager to well up further.
Escalation and Tears
The mum-to-be continued: 'She then began to cry and say that we didn't accept her. My mum tried to diffuse the situation saying that she was at our family dinner so of course we did. But she then said that the only way she'd believe that is if I named my baby something else.'
'I again, refused and my brother jumped in with 'She's not even born yet. Just pick a different name'. I admit I did get a little mad and hormonal and tell them 'I'm not picking a six-month child relationship over the name of my kid. It's not going to last.''
'My mum told me to leave the room because the girl was in hysterics. After she went home, my mum told me she knew where I was coming from but Kaitlyn was just a teenager. My brother has also refused to talk to me since then.'
Reaction
Keen to find out whether she was in the wrong, she turned to Reddit users with her dilemma. She wrote: 'I get that I got mad at a girl 10 years younger but shouldn't I be able to name my kid what I want? My husband thinks maybe we should name her something else but I still really love it.'
Weighing in on her post, one user said: 'Kaitlyn doesn't own the name Kate, Kaitlyn, etc. She was way out of line telling a grown woman what she can and cannot name her daughter. Name your daughter what you like, it's unlikely this high school relationship will last.'
Another user added: 'I think you should name the baby Kate Lynn Lastname.' A third user said: 'You have every right to name your child anything you like within reason.'
'Kaitlyn is 15. She's a literal child. Odds are she won't be dating your brother in a month. Imagine being 15 and meeting your barely-boyfriend's family and immediately lecturing them on what they can name their children.'
