Foster parents pressure 16-year-old foster kid to change his name from Ryder to Ryan, claims his name is too lewd: 'They would like me to strongly consider it so I could have the chance at a professional future'

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Sep 4, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Babies aren't put on this earth to have professional names. I understand why a parent wouldn't want to name their kid something absurd, but if a kid is named something that society at large has decided is acceptable, who are we to make them feel wrong about that? I wouldn't name my kid Hunter, Dallas, or Gunther, but that doesn't mean that boys who are named those names all across the American South should feel bad about themselves. Even if you have a real hippie dippie name like Clementine or Rainbow, you shouldn't have to change your name to appeal to the cold corporate setup! We're human beings first and resumes second.

It's especially cruel to tell a kid whose name is their connection to their estranged family members that their name is not acceptable, and that's precisely what these foster parents did to the 16-year-old boy in their care.