Woman Insists on Naming Her Newborn an Unconventional Name She Made-up, Family Showdown Begins When They Call Her Selfish: ‘You’re setting her up for a hard life’

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    r/AITAH 2 days ago Lost-Platform7670 Aitah for naming my baby something "unconventional"?
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    So, I (29F) recently gave birth to my first child, a beautiful baby. girl. My husband (31M) and I spent months deliberating over the perfect name for her. We're both into mythology and literature, and we wanted a name that felt unique but also meaningful. After a lot of back- and-forth, we settled on Nyxiryn
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    (pronounced "NIX-er-in"). It's a combination of "Nyx," the Greek goddess of the night, and "Irina,” which means "peace" in Greek. We thought it sounded poetic, strong, and unique.
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    I shared the name with my family a few weeks before she was born, and the reactions were mixed. Some of them thought it was cool and different, but others were clearly taken aback. My mom said it was "a mouthful," and my sister-in-law (34F) was silent for a while before saying, "Well, it's... interesting."
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    The real drama started at a family dinner after the baby was born. My aunt (62F), who is never shy about her opinions, asked me what we ended up naming our daughter. When I told her, she immediately burst into laughter, like a full-on cackle. I was taken aback and asked what was so funny, and she said, "You seriously named your kid that?
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    Poor child. You've practically cursed her with that name."
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    I tried to keep my cool and asked what she meant, and she went on a rant about how Nyxiryn is a "made-up, weird name" that would just make my daughter's life harder. She said that she would be bullied in school, that no one would ever spell it right, and that we were "trying too hard" to be unique. She even went so far as to call me selfish
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    for giving her a name like that and said I was setting her up for a life of frustration.
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    I snapped back, saying that it's our baby and our choice of name, and that she should respect it. She then accused me of being sensitive and said I wouldn't last in the real world if I couldn't handle a little feedback. The whole dinner turned awkward, and my husband and I ended up leaving early.
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    Now, I'm starting to second- guess myself. My mom said my aunt was out of line, but also added that "people do have a point" and suggested that we might want to consider a more "normal" name. My husband says we shouldn't change anything just because a few people don't like it, but the whole thing has left me feeling conflicted.
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    So, AITA for naming my baby Nyxiryn and for getting upset when my aunt called me out on it?
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    Ghost_Hoster 2d ago • I have an unconventional name and life has been hard. Less opportunities in pretty much everything and everyone judges you by your name. It's a curse. I hate my name. Nope, not saying it so don't ask.
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    I won't ever fully understand the selfish motivation that parents have. No forward thinking, no awareness of what you're child would go through.
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    Op, TBH, if you like the name so much, change your name to what you chose. If you don't, please learn from my experience above. My name haunts me everywhere I go... Edit: soft YTA
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    TrickPaper9696 • 2d ago • Your aunt could've handled it better, but she just gave you a preview of what your daughter is potentially going to experience for the rest of her life every time someone asks her what her name is.
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    lux_roth_chop • 2d ago. You need to think about whether you're choosing a name based on your daughter's needs or based on your own desire to sound clever.
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    purple_proze 2d ago • Sounds like a medication.
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    Eloquent_Racco... • 2d ago • The name litterly means "nothing in it" in dutch lol...
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    S. 2d ago Edited 20h ago • YTA. You can't even tolerate your family giving their opinions on this name without getting hurt and upset, and you are a grown person. Now, imagine your sensitive little girl having to deal with that from every teacher, classmate, neighbor, doctor visit, and
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    so on. She will never escape it. It will always be commented on, mispronounced, and misspelled. She will constantly be explaining it and correcting people. It will be exhausting. Her own family can't even be bothered to PRETEND it's not atrocious, how do you
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    think school bullies will behave? But, yeah as long as YOU think it's amazing, who cares what she will have to go through? ETA- Your daughter will be waiting in line the day she turns 18 to petition the court for a name change. On that day, when you're hurt
  • 22
    by that choice, remember what the people in the comments here told you.

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