Grandparents 'Refuse' To Call Grandbaby by His 'Immature' Name
iStockSometimes, we hear a baby name and can't help but cringe because we just don't get it. Perhaps a child has an unusual name we've never heard before or the parents chose one of the dreaded "unique" spelling options. Sometimes, the opposite is true and it is a name is so popular we're simply tired of hearing it.
The truth is, though, that unless it's our child, we don't really have a say in the matter. One family, however, is dealing with some pushback from the grandparents of their toddler. They apparently hate the nickname the family has chosen to call their grandson and are refusing to respect the parents' wishes. Hello, drama!
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An anonymous mom took to Reddit's AITA subreddit to get some advice on the situation.
In the popular online discussion channel, a parent is looking for advice on if she's taking a situation too hard.
The mom started the post writing, "So my son's name is Edward. However we decided to call him Teddy as he growled the first time I held him. It was the cutest thing ever." The post continued, "And as Teddy is a common nickname for Edward we thought it'd be cute."
The OP shared that not everyone in the family liked the name Teddy, but they knew enough to deal with it because they didn't have a say anyway.
Well, everyone except the OP's parents.
The poster goes on to note that her parents only recently came back into her life after she gave birth. She explained that her parents "refuse" to call her son Teddy. "I have had many arguments over this with them but they refuse again and again," she wrote.
OP shared that her son was (at that point) 18 months old and knew that his name was really Edward, adding, "but we mainly call him it when he's in trouble. So them calling him that really confuses him."
"They think the name is 'immature' and that he 'will be bullied for it' [later] on," OP wrote before adding that she's "known many Teddy's through school" and said none to her knowledge were bullied. Quite the opposite, in fact: One was a popular kid.
Apparently, OP's parents are really adamant about sticking to his full name.
"There was one point [where] I was with my parents and a friend of [theirs] asked me what the baby's name was. I said 'Teddy.' And my father instantly snapped back in an angry tone 'ITS EDWARD. Only YOU call him Teddy,'" OP wrote. "But that's not true. They are the only ones who don't."
OP gave a little more back-story on her relationship with her parents. "I should add that my ... parents try to control every aspect of my life and how I raise my child."
She went on to note that these were the reasons she and her parents were not in contact for a few years.
OP made a few edits to the post to give more details about the story.
She explained that when other people ask what her son's name is, she tells people his name is Teddy. If they ask for any clarification on that name, she will then tell anyone who asks that his full name is Edward, but they call him Teddy for short.
OP shared that he was named Edward as an homage to two important people. "I also chose Edward as his name as I belonged to the most important person in my life and is also the name of my husband's grandfather," she wrote.
She then asked the AITA community if she was in the wrong for insisting her parents call her son Teddy, and people had feelings.
People were happy to share their thoughts on this situation, with several making sure OP knew that she's not the one in the wrong.
"NTA. This is your child and his name is not for your parents to control," one commenter wrote.
"Yeah this really sounds like a move for control on their part, OP, given the context of the whole relationship," another commenter shared. "Don't make their mistake: You don't need them to call him Teddy, but you do need them to respect that you and most people do and will call him Teddy. If they can't, then maybe they can leave your life again, as this is your parenting choice and they will likely follow through with worse and worse behavior."
"My 16 yo freaks when she hears her full name if I also do surname she'll run for the hills!" a third comment read. "If parents agree on a name, is up to them not the rest of us to judge. In our family we run the name with younger ones to see if it can make fun of, and older generation so it's not difficult to pronounce (we have some weird ones around)."
"NTA. This is bizarre," someone else wrote. "Teddy is a perfectly normal name as well as an accepted nickname for Edward. Honestly I'd cut them back out of my life if it were me, if they're going to be this hostile."
While going through the comments, it's hard to find one that doesn’t agree with OP. It makes sense because it's not the grandparents' place to interject their opinions on their grandkid's name.
