Each of us has our own skeletons in the closet - small or big secrets with which some negative memories are associated. Moments when we felt bad, were ashamed, or when we were completely disgraced - and we want to forget these situations forever, but we can’t.
It's quite possible that this is exactly what happened to the sister of the user u/New_Possibility_9820, the author of our story today, who was triggered completely out of the blue by the name the new mom picked for her newborn daughter. No, no bizarre language constructions - just the name Alannah. Okay, let's get to the story itself.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post recently gave birth to her second child, a girl named Alannah
Image credits: Laura Garcia (not the actual photo)
It was the parents' combined decision to give their daughter this name - and everyone was happy with it. Everyone but the mom's sister
Image credits: u/New_Possibility_9820
The woman got mad and claimed this name was 'ugly' and inappropriate for her niece
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/New_Possibility_9820
However, the woman didn't offer any reasonable grounds why she thinks so - except that the girl could get bullied over this name in future
Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/New_Possibility_9820
The mom didn't follow the sister's lead and decided to leave everything as is - and the sis got offended by this
So, the Original Poster (OP) says that a few weeks ago, she gave birth to her second child, a girl. The new mom agreed in advance with her husband that they would name their daughter Alannah - and solemnly announced the name to relatives and closest friends. It's unlikely that the couple expected a violent reaction from anyone - after all, Alannah isn't a very common name, but also not so strange, as sometimes happens.
Quite suddenly, the author’s younger sister showed a weird reaction, acting like the name Alannah meant something completely terrible to her. The woman stated that this was a completely unacceptable name and that it would be very difficult for her niece to live with it. To say that the mom was surprised is an understatement, because her sis had never exhibited such drama queen-style behavior before.
Moreover, after some time, the sister approached the original poster again and literally begged her to change her decision about the name for the girl. When the OP asked about the reasons for such conviction, the sister didn't give any reasonable answer, but said that later, years and years later, her daughter would only thank her mom and aunt for 'saving' her from such a terrible name.
Well, the author, of course, didn't intend to rename her daughter - but she sincerely tried to understand which reasons motivated her sister. According to the woman's own words, they had been quite close since early childhood, so she'd have perhaps known about some conflicts with someone named Alannah. But the original poster remembers nothing like this.
The sister said that by refusing her advice, the OP is acting rudely and in general she should listen to her, otherwise later, when Alannah grows up, she will be bullied, and that only renaming her will save the girl from 'torment'. In turn, the author sincerely believes that this is just a whim, and nothing more.
Image credits: SAULO LEITE (not the actual photo)
We did a little research and found out that Alannah is indeed quite a rare name. So, according to datayze.com, in 2021 there were 206 baby girls named Alannah in the US. However, for example, The Bump states that this name is likely derived from British names Alana and Alan, and directly translates to 'little child.'
According to other versions, Alannah is an anglicized version of the Gaelic word a leanbh, which in turn means 'O child.' Makes sense, considering that the original poster's husband is, according to her, of Irish descent. By the way, the name Alannah is quite popular, for example, in Canada and Australia - just remember the Grammy-winning Candian singer Alannah Myles or the Australian fashion designer Alannah Hill.
In any case, Alannah is a wonderful name, and we're sure that the girl will have a wonderful life full of good events. Commenters on the original post also believe that the author's sister is 100% overreacting. "Alannah is a familiar name for a girl when I was growing up, and I don't remember anyone being made fun of for it," someone reasonably wrote.
By the way, here's another version - the sister could have 'picked' this name for her future kid in advance and got upset at seeing it 'stolen.' "Either she had had experiences with someone who goes by This Name, or she would have liked it for her future daughter," another person tried to guess. Yes, such situations can also lead to serious conflicts between relatives.
Regardless, most people in the comments do believe that the original poster did the right thing by refusing to follow her sister's lead. "Tell your sister to get over herself and stay in her lane," someone added. And do you, our dear readers, agree with this mother’s decision? Please let us know in the comments below this post.
Well Alannah isn't that common of a name - however, it's pretty familiar and the commenters also think it's nice and beautiful
