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AITA for refusing to call my sister's baby by his 'full name'?
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It's pretty unlikely that he will want to be called by his full name in the future. As soon as this kid heads to daycare, he's going to have a nickname because little kids are not about to recite his entire legal name while playing tag.
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Our protagonist's sister likely feels that she has some form of control over her brother. Eventually, though, even if her family members adhere to her demands, she will come to realize that most people that interact with her son will not.
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'She told me I was "erasing" her son's identity': New mom demands that everyone call newborn by his elaborate full name, considers limiting contact with 30-year-old brother for using nickname
My mother and I share the same first name. So, when I was born, in order to distinguish between us, she insisted that everyone call me by my first and middle name combined. This was all well until I learned to talk, and I had trouble pronouncing my name. The mispronunciation of my name became my lifelong nickname, and my extended family still calls me by it whenever I visit.
But today, we're talking about a new mom similarly insists that her family members call her son by his first and middle name – and last name, too! For whatever reason, she wants to hear his full legal name whenever he is being referred to. The baby's uncle refuses to adhere to his sister's request, but he later finds out that this may come at the expense of his relationship with his nephew. As if family wasn't complicated enough, now people are adding demanding rules about how relatives are supposed to call their nieces and nephews or else they'll get cancelled. Cancel culture really has gone too far.
Everybody with a "complicated" family knows how difficult it can be. Our parents grew up in a different time than we did, and their parents treated them very differently than our parents treated us. Views on discipline changed. Views on expression changed. The world changed. But sometimes, it's hard for our parents to let go of what was incorrectly taught to them, causing situations like this to happen. Arguments like this come from fear, maybe it's a fear of holding onto something or fear of letting go. But no matter what, fear is not a good reason to make a decision. The first step is recognizing this, and then, true change can begin.