Gen Z brother applauded for rejecting the baby name his pregnant millennial sister chose: 'It's just cruel'
One cannot stress the importance of having a decent name to identify with. Children are given a name by their parents or family members, which determines a large part of their lives. A 20-year-old brother, who goes by u/Odd_Age1378 on Reddit, shared how he refused to let his sister keep an unusual name for his to-be niece. The brother rejected the name and urged the parents to change their minds. People are applauding him for a bold and firm reaction and for warning the parents so that the child born does not suffer in the future.
Jennifer Moss, the founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, revealed why parents need to pick a decent name for their kid, per TODAY. “Choosing a baby name is very nuanced. Not only do you want to choose something meaningful, but it has to be a name that your child can live with — and bear until adulthood. We say, ‘You’re not just naming a baby, you’re also naming an adult!’” she remarked. The brother mentioned that his 27-year-old pregnant sister and her husband were filtering through baby names for their daughter. The would-be parents wanted the “perfect” name and were taking their time with it. “I gave her a list of (obviously) joke baby names,” he noted.
He said that since the sibling had an understanding of the humor they share, his sister would understand that it was a joke. “She's a nurse and I'm a biology student, so all the names were medications, infections, unpleasant animals, etc.,” he wrote. When the sister approached her brother with a name she had finalized, he was baffled. “Malassezia. The baby's name is Malassezia. One of the names on my joke list,” he revealed. “Outside of the immediate issues (nearly impossible to pronounce on the first try, the 'a**' smack dab in the middle of it, the first syllable being mal-, literally meaning bad or evil), it's also the name of a very common fungal infection,” he mentioned.
The name had several issues and was listed as a joke in the first place. Moreover, the infection was one that the brother-sister duo were unfortunately familiar with. “One that we've both had multiple times throughout our lives. Her daughter will almost certainly catch it at some time!” he remarked. The brother quickly pointed out why the name was a bad idea and tried to convince his sister to consider otherwise. However, she told him she “liked the sound of it” and added that because it was "obscure," no one would think much of it. The brother refused to entertain his sister’s careless preference.
“I told her that the name was completely unacceptable, and I was shocked that she chose it. I even suggested some similar names, like Mallory, Azalea or Anastasia, but she wouldn't hear it!” he wrote. He remained adamant about his opinion even though his sister thought he was “stepping out of line.” People in the comments applauded the young man for taking a stand and calling out the situation's lack of seriousness. u/gopher-tuna said, “I share your frustration and you're looking out for your niece. You can imagine the chaos ensued for that poor girl.” u/imamage_fightme remarked, “It’s just cruel. Hopefully, your sister wakes up before she makes a huge mistake.”