A Name by Any Other Name: The Drama of Baby Liam’s Naming Saga
Oh darlings, gather ’round! Roger’s got a tale hotter than a summer sale at a designer shoe store. Pop the champagne, grab a seat, and let’s dive into a real-life soap opera pulled straight from the cringeworthiest depths of Reddit.
This debacle comes courtesy of a young lady—the proud new mom—who decided to test the waters of family politics with the dubious question: ‘Am I the Asshole for refusing to change my baby’s name?’ It’s one of those questions that’s like asking if there’s ever a good time to get caught in an earthquake during a spa day. The short answer? Probably, but we’re here for the juicy details.
Liam Alexander Enters the Scene
Alright folks, our heroine (F32) and her partner (M34) recently welcomed a baby boy into the world and christened him Liam Alexander—cue the happy tears, photo ops, and a chorus of ‘awws’. Name settled, right? You’d think. But enter Katie, her partner’s sister, sweeping into the maternity ward like Queen Cersei smelling a challenge to her royal decree.
Katie has two kids, James (6) and William (4), and Mike’s also got a 10-year-old daughter from his previous relationship, because why keep it simple? Little did our new mom know, the name ‘Liam’ had been languishing on Katie’s dream baby name list, only held at bay by the mighty veto power of Mike. Why? Oh, because Mike’s ex already has a son named Liam! The plot thickens.
What’s In a Name?
So Mike kiboshes ‘Liam’ for Katie, fearing some cosmic implosion that might occur from a name clash. When Katie hears her nephew’s new name, does she take it in stride? Does she smile and politely say, “Lovely name, congratulations!”? Pshht, please.
Instead, she asks—nay, strongly suggests—that our brave new mom change her beloved infant’s name to Alexander. Think about that for a moment. You’re standing there, 24 hours post-birth, having wrangled with your partner over name choices like it was a WWE match, and someone flounces in telling you to hit the redo button. Oh no, darling. Roger can barely keep a withering glare off his face just imagining it.
Mom, standing her ground like Xena: Warrior Princess, says a firm but empathetic “NOPE, NOT HAPPENING.” Case closed? Of course not! The saga escalates.
The Never-Ending Story
Fast forward a week, our protagonist is in the comfort of her own home when Katie drops by, still championing the name-change crusade. It’s like an anthill on your new patio that won’t disappear no matter how many times you stomp on it.
Katie’s convoluted rationale? Mike’s son with his ex has the name Liam, and she can’t possibly explain that to…well, who knows?! It’s like saying you can’t name your cat Mittens because your neighbor three blocks down has a ferret named Mittens. The connection is just…nonexistent!
Finally, we get to the part where Katie’s argument fully unravels. The Toxic Co-Parenting Reveal! Turns out, Katie, Mike, and Mike’s ex have a co-parenting dynamic that would make a reality TV show executive salivate. Toxicity levels are high, which, gosh, who would’ve guessed considering the melodrama over a name? While our dear mom could sympathize, she held her ground and refused to change her son’s name.
Roger’s Witty Opinion
So let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Is our valiant new mom the asshole here? Hell no! Darling, standing your ground in this name game? Roger applauds. Just because someone missed out on having their dream name doesn’t mean you should rename your baby like it’s an IKEA chair with an unpronounceable serial number.
This Katie character needs to take several seats. Preferably in a room without Wi-Fi or baby-related drama. Her reasoning is flimsier than a paper napkin in a hurricane. Toxic exes be damned, kids named Liam are not going to clash like matter and antimatter when they cross paths. Your name choice was made with love, thought, and plenty of baby-burp-induced brainstorming.
To all the new moms out there—or heck, anyone making a significant life choice: Own it, flaunt it, and don’t you let anyone make you feel guilty for it. This isn’t an episode of The Bold and The Beautiful; it’s your life. Name that baby whatever your heart desires—because in the end, it’s your little bundle of joy, not theirs.
Original story
My Partner (M34) and I (F32) recently welcomed our son Liam Alexander into the world. My partner’s sister (Katie) has 2 kids (James 6 and William 4) with her husband (Mike), and he has a daughter (10) with his EX.
My partner and I didn’t settle on a name for our son until the day of his birth. I have always loved the name Liam, for its sound and meaning, and was over the moon when my partner finally agreed to one of the names on my list.
24 hours after Liam was born our families came to meet him, his sister being one of the first. We announced his name to her and her immediate response was “Oh, I’ve always loved the name Liam, but Mike wouldn’t let me use it for our first son!
Could you change it? Maybe call him Alexander as his first name?
Its sounds nicer!” I firmly said I loved the name too, and while I empathise with her, we would not be changing his name, or the order of his names.
I thought that was the end of it until she visited us at home, a week later, and brought it up again. The reason Mike didn’t let her use the name is because his EX has a son with that name.
I told that shouldn’t have stopped her from using the name she loved. Those boys do not know each other, do not go to the same school, don’t have the same last name and basically live separate existences outside of their shared half-sister.
I also said she could still use the name in future, it’s common in my culture and tends to serve as a bond between the kids.
For clarification, Katie and I have never discussed baby names, and we have no name pacts. The only reason I feel like TA is because Mike and his EX have a toxic coparenting relationship, and this understandably affects Katie.
Katie and I have a good relationship but she doesn’t talk about Mike’s ex, so this is as much as I know. AITA?