New mom refuses to change her baby’s name after father-in-law claimed it hurt his new wife's feelings

Marriage is often described as the union of two families, but navigating relationships with in-laws can be challenging. A Reddit post by u/ElectricalLeague1580 has sparked intense debate after a woman revealed her in-laws demanded she change her daughter's name, claiming it hurt their feelings. She explained the name was chosen to honor her husband’s late mother, but this upset her father-in-law and his current wife, Sharon. The post also detailed the strained relationship her husband had with his father and Sharon after his mother’s separation and eventual passing.

She wrote, "When my MIL died, my husband's relationship with FIL and Sharon deteriorated significantly. He forbade them from attending the funeral and said if they tried to come he would run away until he was placed with other family members. My husband told me about this himself. FIL and Sharon said they feared my husband would start lashing out at them and Sharon was pregnant at the time so they gave in. They say my husband hates them for not being there. He said them following through and not going was one of the better decisions they made and he hated that he had to yell and threaten to run away for them to stop insisting."

The in-laws claimed that the late MIL was the cause of their rocky relationship with the woman's husband. What was intended as a heartfelt tribute—naming their daughter after his mother—became a source of resentment for her father-in-law and Sharon. While the name symbolized the deep bond her husband had with his late mother, it only seemed to fuel tensions with his father and stepmother.

According to the post, her in-laws confronted her at a mall, saying, "They told me they found out her name and they wanted to know why we'd do that to Sharon and how could I be okay with my daughter being used to hurt her feelings. They said I should insist on a different name." Moreover, the woman's in-laws asked her to change her daughter's name and may even consider naming her after Sharon, as she has always been there for them. 

However, the woman was very firm, stating that she and her husband would not change their daughter's name and would not consider the request. "I told them I will not change my child's name because it hurts her feelings and that isn't even on a list of things to consider for us. I didn't want to hear more so I left. But we are getting inundated with texts from them calling me rude and disgusting for dismissing Sharon's feelings," she added. As soon as the woman shared the post, the comment section was flooded with messages.

u/dncrmom wrote, "NTA Sharon seems to be suffering from main character syndrome. The name of your child has nothing to do with her. Your husband barely has a relationship with her. Suggest therapy." Similarly, u/financial_bear_5071 commented, "NTA and hand this back to your husband to deal with. He's done a great job of putting them back in their place throughout his life, and this is just one more time."

u/negative-resort2352 lashed out at Sharon and wrote, "NTA. Thinking someone named their child after their late mother just to upset you is very self-centered. This says a lot about why the relationship with the stepmom didn’t work out. Honoring a loved one who passed away is a personal choice, not something meant to hurt others." u/suzdg hailed the woman and wrote, "I mean they want to know why he named his daughter after his mother??? How self-involved can they be? This isn’t even worth engaging over. Well done and congratulations."