Foster family decides 16-year-old adoptee's name is too short, tries to rename him: 'They don't like calling me Nico. So they call me Nicholas'

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Nov 24, 2024 11:00 PM EST

It really should go without saying that you can't just go around renaming people just because you don't like their name for some reason. Even if—no, especially if—that person is a foster kid under your care. Some things like this are so outrageously laughable and out-of-pocket that they would be silly if they weren't so cruel…

This 16-year-old foster child found himself facing hostility from his new foster family's extended family, who apparently came to the decision that his name, "Nico," was too short and that it simply must be short for something. They persisted, insisting that his name be "Nicolas" instead, declaring that he should rename himself to that so that his name made sense to their own little world. When people began calling him Nicolas anyway, at least his foster parents were supportive, telling him to ignore anyone who refused to use his actual name. Frustrated, the teen shared their experience with this online community, asking readers whether or not he was in the wrong for simply ignoring those who refused to use his name.