A man who warned his sister about her "ridiculous" baby name choices and was subsequently uninvited from her wedding is being applauded online.
Sharing his frustration with Reddit's Am I the A******? (AITA) community, Redditor u/nfjs74839 said his older sister Katie, 35, looks down on him and their brother Ian, 38.
Katie attended Yale Law School while her neurosurgeon fiancé, Daniel attended Stanford Medical School. The poster has been running the family business for 10 years, but Katie is "astonished" by its profitability considering "someone who got C's in high school and never went to college" is in charge.
"Katie also once told Ian to his face that he 'wasted his potential' by dropping out of college to help Mom run the family business after Dad passed away," the 34-year-old Redditor explained.
Katie recently announced that she is pregnant with twin boys, who she is naming Stanford and Yale. The Redditor wrote "Congratulations!" on the Facebook post, but immediately texted his sister to tell her that her name choices are "ridiculous."
"[It] would put them under immense pressure to succeed from a very young age," he said. "I also asked her about what would happen if one or both of them weren't as successful/perfect as she hoped."
In response, Katie said, "I wasn't asking for opinions, especially from someone like you," before uninviting her brother from her upcoming wedding.
"I was already leaning towards not attending due to Katie's condescending attitude towards me, but the 'someone like you' comment sealed the deal," he wrote. "I told Ian what happened, but he said that I should've kept my thoughts to myself."
According to research by Name.org, the most popular U.S. baby names of 2023 are predicted to be Liam and Olivia. However, everything from movie releases to the number of syllables in a name can influence moms and dads-to-be.
Dr. Robin Grumet, a psychologist based in Montreal, Canada, said it's important to remember that baby names are subjective.
"In general, best to keep your opinion to yourself unless your opinion is directly solicited," Grumet told Newsweek. "If there is genuine concern about a detrimental impact of a name, such as bullying or unfortunate initials, gently ask 'Have you considered xyz?'"
If your opinion on a baby name leads to a fallout, Grumet recommends giving your loved one the time to consider your view before reaching out again.
"The perinatal period is a sensitive one," she said. "Clarify that your intentions were good and let them have space to move past their feelings of upset."
Reddit users praised nfjs74839 for speaking out about his sister's baby names, with the post receiving over 13,000 upvotes and an "NTA" (Not the A******) verdict.
"I would have a HARD time forgiving my parents if they named Stanford or Yale," commented Redditor lightningbug24.
"I would resent them so much," user attempt5001 wrote. "Also I'd need therapy."
"Parents should be steered away from giving their children highly bully-able names," said Redditor plfntoo.
"Their names are the least of their problems," warned Queen_Andromeda. "If she's treating her brothers this way how do you think she'll treat those poor kids?"
"It's bad enough to have your parents pressure you into getting accepted by a high-ranking college, but it's infinitely worse to have both your parents and your name do that," wrote I_AM_STEPHEN_HAWKING.
Newsweek reached out to u/nfjs74839 via Reddit for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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