A man has received widespread support on Reddit for labeling his pregnant sister “selfish” after she announced a name for her unborn baby girl that has ruffled some feathers.
The unusual name that the mom-to-be and her husband picked for their firstborn child is “Krxstxl,” the Redditor explained, and admitted that he told his sister that her choice was “stupid.”
“I am a man who was given a woman’s name at birth,” the man explained in his post on the AITA (Am I The A******?) subreddit written under the username u/NoEar4141. “A good example is naming your son Alice. It’s not what my name was but it’s close. My parents are hippies and gave their oldest son a girl’s name to ‘stick it to the man’ and I will never forgive them for it. That name caused me to be bullied and damaged my professional life in ways I cannot describe.”
He was shocked when his sister announced the odd name, accusing her of acting like their parents and making a “fashion statement.”
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“She wants to name her daughter Krxstxl. I am confused, the name is pronounced Crystal. I already don’t like that name but it’s at least appropriate,” the man wrote. “I was not surprised to learn that my mom helped come up with the name. I told her it was a terrible idea. If she wants to name her Crystal, name her Crystal.”
The Redditor said that his sister and mother weren’t taking him seriously and claimed that he was just projecting due to never being able to accept his own unique name.
“I told my sister she was being either selfish, stupid, or an incredibly strong combination of the two if she thinks her daughter will want a stupid name like Krxstxl,” he wrote. “We got into an argument and I told her I already see her and her husband as s***** parents for using their kid to be off-brand with her name and left right after.”
His sister and mother took offense to his remarks and remain “furious” with him. Now, he’s wondering if he was too harsh by telling his sister she wasn’t going to be a good mom.
How Can Siblings Improve Their Relationships?
While it’s unclear whether the Redditor and his sister will ever see eye to eye on the issue of the unborn child’s name, there are ways in which the pair could strengthen their sibling relationship.
Dr. Tara M. Lally, the supervising psychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, and a professor in the psychiatry department at Hackensack School of Medicine told Newsweek that parents or caregivers can continually help siblings—even adult siblings—build up an interest in one another through shared family activities, like family meals or movies to foster relationships.
“By modeling, celebrating victories and creating space for disappointments, siblings can form bonds with one another. Allowing siblings to resolve conflicts on their own in a productive and healthy manner without blaming or accusing the other takes time but can also help to build a close bond,” she said.
What the Comments Say
Since it was shared on Reddit on March 19, the post has been upvoted by 9 percent of the users who engaged with it and commented on over 4,200 times. The vast majority of Redditors who commented under the post shared their support for the original poster and slammed his sister’s choice of baby name.
“As someone who changed their name the moment they turned 18, you’re right. She is stupid. NTA (Not The A******). It’s [a] horrendous name that will do nothing but get the child bullied,” one user wrote.
“I should have changed my weird German name that my German mother gave me at 18. I have faced discrimination and have used a nickname even on legal documents. No one who isn’t German can say it,” another person commented.
“I had a student named this. Signed her name Kris on everything. Didn’t even try to tell me how to pronounce it, just said please call me Kris,” a different Redditor said.
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