Man's Family Disowns Him & Refuses To Meet His New Baby Because Of His Name
The family drama has made this happy occasion anything but.
Ground Picture / Shutterstock A man and his family are at odds over a baby name.
The man explained that his family feels offended because their infant's name does not align with their traditional customs. He now questions whether there is hope for reconciliation between him and his family.
The man’s family cut contact with him and refused to meet his new baby because of what he and his wife named him.
Sharing his story on Reddit, the man revealed that he and his wife have been together for six years and that they recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy.
Photo: Kseniya Ivanova / Shutterstock
“My family is very cultural, and in our culture, we have this tradition that the first son has to be named after the son’s father to honor him,” the man wrote.
“I was not on the best terms with my family because of controlling reasons on their part, trying to run our life (mostly mine), and name-calling my wife all the time, saying that she is influencing me all the time, but that is another story on its own,” he shared.
The new dad was adamant in his belief that a baby’s name should not be decided based on cultural traditions but should be determined by the parents.
“I had to witness families being destroyed over this as a child, and at that moment, I decided to not follow this path (my parents are aware of this story) and my parents know this,” the man added.
The man’s son is nearly 5 months old, and his family has still not met him due to the man breaking tradition and not naming him after his father.
However, he recently decided to contact them and ask if they wanted to be present in his son’s life.
“They said to me that they don’t want to,” the man shared. “My father said that he doesn’t want to meet him, I should change my last name, and that he can see grandchildren from elsewhere, implying my sister.”
Photo: fizkes / Canva Pro
Hoping for a reconciliation with his family, he invited them to his son’s christening.
“We always made time for everyone since day one,” the man wrote. “Their refusing to meet him is their own decision.”
The man cannot help but feel hurt on his son’s behalf since he will likely never get to know his entire family, and he wonders if he took things too far by refusing to name the baby after his father.
Many people believed that his family was acting irrationally.
“You have done all you can for your side. If they don't want to see you again, they don't want to see you. Your family is bad, and I feel if they do decide to come back, they will influence your child (Or children if you decide to have more in the future) negatively,” one Redditor commented.
“You tried to have them be part of your son’s life. Your parents have made a different decision, based solely on traditions, to have no contact,” another user pointed out. “They also have no respect for you, or your wife, as responsible adults creating their own family. All this is based on some old sense of generational privilege.”
“You have every right to name your child as you wish. Your parents have given you a gift. Take it. Change your last name. Move on from the toxicity,” another user suggested.
The man followed up with his post, thanking everyone for all of their kind words toward him, his wife, and his baby and for allowing him to realize that he was not the jerk in the situation.
Photo: Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock
Each generation evolves in its own unique way.
As times change, societal norms shift, and individual perspectives vary, it's natural for your children to embrace different customs and beliefs.
Instead of ridiculing or cutting contact with them, families should encourage them to explore and create their own traditions.
When we have children, we must accept that they may choose a different path and lifestyle than the one they grew up with, and that is okay! It should not affect our pride, dedication, and love for them.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.