Woman Honors Mom By Naming Baby After Her, Then Her Stepmother Gets Angry
Navigating the politics of a blended family can difficult on a good day. Even if they've been in your life for a long time, it can be difficult to manage the relationships or expectations of your parents and stepparents.
One woman on Reddit shared her story of how she learned the hard way that just because her mother is happy with her child's name, it doesn't mean her stepmother will be too.
Before We Jump Into The Story, Let's Talk About The Conclusion
Reddit user Sudden_Orchid_9642 posted a story to the AmITheA**hole community when she was seeking guidance about an issue with her stepmother.
In something that doesn't often happen on the internet, there was nearly a unanimous ruling for this story. Everyone agreed that the stepmother was in the wrong, with a few people saying neither the stepdaughter nor stepmother were in the wrong. But virtually no one felt the stepmother was in the right, here.
A New Birth Should Be An Exciting Time
Most parents look forward to the day where they get to watch their children become parents of their own and bring grandchildren into the family.
The focus should be on your child and their new baby. The parents or stepparents shouldn't be making it about them.
Who's In The Wrong?
Without even reading the story, it seems like an easy conclusion to say that you're not required to give anyone a heads-up about the naming of your child.
Especially if you're naming that child after the woman who birthed you and raised you, but this stepmom says otherwise...
Passing Down The Family Name Seemed Like A Nice Idea
The Reddit user—a 25-year-old woman—gave birth to her daughter and chose to name her after her mother because "she and I are so close and I loved the idea of my daughter having my mom's name."
That seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do, right? Wrong (apparently).
She Didn't Think Her Stepmom Would Care
The new mom wrote that she didn't think of her stepmom while choosing the name, which led to some drama.
Her stepmom apparently made it "very clear that [she] was insensitive" for not having thought about honoring her as well as her mother.
Their Stepmother And Stepdaughter Relationship Is A Strained One
The user clarifies that while her stepmom has been in her life since she was 5, "she wasn't a huge part of my life."
She spent most of her time growing up with her mother and doesn't have a great relationship with her dad or stepmother. If they're not that close, why would she name her child after the woman?
Her Stepmother Saw It Differently
It must have been difficult for the stepmother to learn that she viewed her relationship with her stepdaughter differently than her stepdaughter does, but she's still not in the right.
This seems like an overreaction on her part to imply that this stepdaughter doesn't care about her at all because of this.
How Many Names Can One Baby Have?
You might be thinking to yourself, "Couldn't we just honor the stepmom with the middle name spot if she cares that much?" but that's already claimed, too.
The baby's middle name is to honor her grandfather on her father's side, so they've got one name from each side of the family.
Let Mom And Baby Adjust Before Picking A Fight Next Time
Since we started with the general reaction, you already know that everyone thought this stepmom was a little nuts for this level of entitlement.
A lot of commenters also felt that if this was an opinion she felt needed to be voiced, she could have waited until the new mom and baby had settled in before picking a fight.