Families can literally fight over anything, even something as mundane as a name. But wars have been fought for far more ridiculous things, so this doesn’t really come as a surprise. While family conflicts are pretty common, the way they are handled and resolved differs on a great scale.
But there are some people who just tend to worsen things rather than fix them. For instance, our original poster’s (OP) brother and sister-in-law will definitely get the crown for taking things too far when she named her son ‘Oliver’, which was similar to their daughter’s name, ‘Olivia’.
More info: Reddit
Family feuds can erupt over the smallest of things, including something as trivial as similar baby names
Image credits: Drazen Zigic (not the actual photo)
Woman had a baby boy and named him 'Oliver', then she introduced him to her family who live in a different country, far from her
Image credits: Delicious_Author_620
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Everyone was positive except for her brother and sister-in-law who sent her a nasty text saying that they were angry with her for that name and stopped talking completely
Image credits: Delicious_Author_620
Image credits: Matheus Bertelli (not the actual photo)
Her sister told her that they were mad as 'Oliver' sounded similar to their daughter's name 'Olivia', and they would "allow" her to use it as a middle name but not first
Image credits: Delicious_Author_620
The woman was upset and said that she didn't have to take their permission while naming her kid and felt like they were just being controlling
Let’s begin today’s story that involves names and family drama. Delicious_Author_620 is a new mom who recently gave birth to a healthy son. And as anyone would be, she was stoked to share the news with her family who live in a different country. Due to the distance, she only speaks with them in a family chat and the expensive flights also prevent her from visiting them often.
When she introduced the newborn with his name Oliver, the family was delighted. But that didn’t include everyone. Her brother and sister-in-law sent her a nasty message that they were angry about the name. She didn’t understand anything as there were no other details in it and when she tried to talk to them, they just refused.
To understand what was happening, OP called up her sister who explained that the couple was extremely angry with her as the newborn’s name was similar to their daughter’s name, Olivia. That was why they refused to speak with her. The woman was stunned, as anyone would be if a family member made something small into a big issue.
Even her parents and sister were confused by this strange reaction from the couple. But, folks, it didn’t end there, there’s still more spice left to the story. The sister-in-law said to the family that they might “allow” OP to use Oliver as a middle name. However, if she used it as a first name, she could wave goodbye to their relationship. Well, that sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it?
The woman must’ve been distressed by such a statement. She mentioned, “I don’t feel I have to justify or ask permission for naming my son and feel they are being controlling with double standards.” And she does have a point. She even expressed that they, or any of the other siblings, never asked her permission to name their kids, so why should she?
She also justified that her son and their daughter have different last names with a gap of 5 years between them. And they even live in two different countries. So, it doesn’t even seem to matter, really. But the stubborn couple refused to speak with her, despite weeks having passed since the incident. And although she feels that she didn’t do anything wrong, probably to clear her conscience, she went online for advice.
Image credits: senivpetro (not the actual photo)
The Redditors sided with the woman, saying that she was not in the wrong, rather, her brother and sister-in-law were the real villains in this story. They said that the entitled couple did not own the name, also stating that they were not the name police, and they had no right whatsoever to interfere with what the woman named her baby.
As per Verywell Mind, “Entitled people feel like people should do things for them because of who they are. If someone has a problem with them or does not agree with what they are doing, they will try to make the other party feel as if they are wrong and that it is a horrible thing to disagree with them. When someone doesn't give in to their demands, they will cause a big scene. They may be very dramatic when something does not go their way.”
We can see that the brother and sister-in-law tick all the boxes here. They feel they can just order the woman to change the newborn’s name even when they live countries apart. They also got extremely dramatic by stating that they would end the relationship if she didn’t listen to them. Looks like their entitlement knows no bounds!
Research also suggests, “Entitlement is a narcissistic personality trait. Entitled people often see themselves as superior to others. It’s no surprise that this way of thinking affects interpersonal relationships. Feeling entitled to something and the disappointment that follows when you don’t get what you want can reinforce entitled behavior turning it into a vicious cycle.”
It looks like the couple is not only ruining their relationship with their sister but also creating more trouble for themselves. According to the poster, they are being controlling as their ultimatum of either not using the name Oliver or ending their relationship is a means to manipulate her to change the name that they think sounds familiar to their daughter’s.
It has been observed, “Controlling behavior occurs when a person attempts to conform another person to their own needs or desires through some form of manipulation. This outsized desire for control is unhealthy, unhelpful, and may create relationship conflicts. Controlling people are often inflexible and insist that everything needs to be their way. They often won't adapt and may not be open to others' suggestions or points of view.”
So, even when the sister tried to speak with them about the issues, they refused to talk to her. And from the observation above, it seems like no matter what she says, it won’t change their mind. Looks like there’s no point in even trying to resolve it if they are going to act so immature, as some Redditors pointed out.
Now that you know the whole story, we want to hear who you think is the villain or the bad guy here. So, just scroll down and leave your thoughts in the comments.
The Redditors jumped to her rescue and stated that her brother and sister-in-law were just entitled adults acting extremely immature
