Couple Names Baby in Honor of One Grandfather, and the Other — Who 'Always Wanted It' — Is Outraged
The new mom had a valid reason for making the decision
A new mom is caught up in family drama over the name of one of her twins.
The 26-year-old took to Reddit to share how she and husband Harry, 30, were so excited to become parents. Though they were thrilled to welcome their twins, it came after an "extremely traumatic" labor and delivery experience.
Once the babies were safely delivered, the family started coming to visit the new arrivals.
"When they were finally able to visit, my parents and my in-laws came to see us. Everyone was fussing over the babies, and my poor husband, who only had about 4 hours of sleep for the whole two days, was napping," she recalls in her r/AmITheA------ post.
"My dad, however, sat by me first and just held my hand for a bit. When I told him to go get some cuddles in with the twins, he said, 'I’m here to see my baby,' meaning me," the original poster (OP) shares.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"It was honestly so sweet and I started tearing up. I didn’t even realize how invisible I felt when my husband was sleeping, and my dad was there to make sure I was also being taken care of. He took me down to the hospital cafe and we had breakfast together while the babies were with everyone else."
OP says the sweet gesture stayed with her over the following days, so she made an important decision.
"I kept thinking about what my dad did for the next few days and I decided that I would give my newborn son my father’s name as his middle name," she explains. "My husband was totally on board with this. However, this is where the problem began."
OP explains that her father-in-law wanted a grandson named after him, but the relationship between her husband and his dad was strained.
"My husband has a complicated relationship with his father so he wasn’t comfortable naming our son after him, but we agreed to give them the same initials so they’d both be AHD," she writes. "He accepted this, but when he found out we were switching the middle name for my father, he lost his mind."
OP's father-in-law felt they were taking "something he always wanted" and "throwing it in his face" by giving it to someone else.
"I tried to explain why, but he cut me off and said that it was absurd to expect someone to check on me when there were babies that had just been born and my father shouldn’t be rewarded for 'ignoring his grandchildren,' " she reveals.
"I tried to explain that it was more than just the moment because my dad has been my best friend for my whole life but he didn’t want to hear it."
In addition to dealing with her father-in-law's feelings on the matter, she says her mother-in-law is also on his side, saying that her own father "doesn't care about any grandchildren being named after him."
"According to her, we are taking something away from him just because my dad chose to do something 'unusual,' which to them was 'ignoring' the babies until he was satisfied with me being okay," she shares, noting her dad "got plenty of cuddles in when we got back from breakfast."
"My dad is honored by our choice but thinks we shouldn’t have done it because of what it means to FIL," she concludes, asking if she was wrong about her decision.
Cavan Images
Stock image of mom holding newborn babyNearly all the commenters agreed with OP and maintained that her and her husband's opinions are the only ones that should matter.
"Why should the DEMANDS of a grown man, who had no right to make demands, override love? I disagree that your father does not care about the name. He does care - because the naming is an honor that demonstrates a love and trust — he's just not the type who demands," one commenter pointed out, adding, "Your father gives love without strings, I think you made the right choice."
Another commenter noted, "Namesakes should be given based on the good and positive merits of the person in question. Your dad sounds like a sweetie pie and I love what he did for you. He sounds lovely. On the other hand, FIL should take his own advice! Why reward him with a namesake for his neurotic and sh---- behavior?"
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
