My sister said her daughter’s weird name is better than my kids’ “granny” names
A heated debate erupted when a woman gave her opinion on the name of her pregnant sister’s baby.
She was shocked when her sister responded to her criticism by making comments about her own children’s names.
The 36-year-old mother explained on Reddit that she has two daughters, Lillian and Madeline.
Her younger sister, Shaelyn, 24, has always dreamed of being a mother and is expecting her first child with her fiancé, Anthony, 27.
The couple announced the name they chose for their baby in the family group chat, after initially planning to keep it a secret.
“Araya Sunshine Heavenly Olivia [last name]” the woman said as she positioned herself under the handle Hoosiergal107.
“I thought she was joking at first.
“She told me she was completely serious and that they had both had their hearts set on this name ever since they found out they were having a girl.
“I told her that she can name her baby whatever she wants, but she should be aware that she is not just naming her baby anything.
“She’s giving a name to a human who will eventually grow up, and I think it would be quite an odd name for an adult.
“Her response was, ‘If you don’t like the name, don’t name your child that!’
“She then told me that the name she had chosen was much better than the ‘boring, boring grandma name’ I had given my daughters.”
The woman said her sister called her a “scumbag,” but she still believes the name will cause her niece to “live a lifetime of bullying and harassment.”
“The child will have Anthony’s last name, which starts with an M,” she said.
“Our family’s last name starts with B.
“They plan to use Araya Sunshine as the first name, with Heavenly and Olivia as middle names.”
She added that her family has no African roots and that she only gave her opinion after her sister asked.
FIRST WORDS
Many Redditors tried to reassure the woman, saying she was justified in expressing her concerns about the baby’s name.
“The first name is fine, the middle names are weird and I would probably choose something else,” said one.
“You were right to tell her that if she can’t handle criticism, she should have given her child a boring name.”
What does Araya mean?
Data collected by Baby center shows that the name Araya has lost popularity in recent years.
It is a versatile nickname that can be given to both women and men.
Araya means “a noble, wise king”, according to Mylo family.
“That’s just a ridiculous name for a human, isn’t it?” said another.
“You are right and take care of your niece. She needs to grow up and realize that it is a mistake to name her child that.”
Other commenters thought the name was unusual, but that her sister should continue using it.
“Unless she expects the child to be called by all four names every time, the middle names are irrelevant,” one said.
“And to be fair, Araya isn’t much weirder than Shaelyn, and your sister lived under that name her entire life and was probably fine.
“My wife is a teacher and at the beginning of every school year we go through the class lists and try to figure out how to pronounce the names. And I can tell you that Araya will not stand out among the current school children.”