A woman has received support online after sharing how her husband's stepmom reacted to the name they had given their newborn baby.
The woman, who is known as u/electricalleague1580 on Reddit, took to the platform on November 18, igniting a firestorm of backlash against the man's stepmother over her demand to have her grandchild renamed in her honor. The post, which has been upvoted over 13,000 times, details the fraught relationship between the woman's 29-year-old husband and his stepmother, Sharon.
"My husband's parents divorced when he was two, and his dad remarried Sharon two years later," the woman said. "Sharon and my late MIL [mother-in-law] were on very bad terms."
Sharon had claimed the man's late mother made her life miserable, including attempting to use Child Protective Services to take custody away from her. However, family members contested Sharon's narrative, suggesting that both women simply disliked each other.
The ongoing conflict reached a new boiling point after Sharon demanded that the couple change their newborn daughter's name, which had been chosen to honor the man's late mother, who passed away when he was eight. This demand has been met with widespread condemnation online, as viewers rallied behind the couple's decision and criticized Sharon's behavior.
"Deciding on what is best for your family first and foremost when family dynamics and tensions are involved is the most important thing you can do for your family and future," Donna Novak, a licensed psychologist, told Newsweek. "They should not need to shift their child's name to satisfy others.
"They need to do what is in their hearts and what feels best to them."
The strained relationship between the woman's husband and Sharon worsened after the death of his mother.
"When my MIL [mother-in-law] died, my husband's relationship with FIL [my father-in-law] and with Sharon deteriorated significantly," the woman said.
The husband insisted that Sharon and his father not attend his mother's funeral, a decision he has defended as one of their better choices. Then the recent birth of the couple's daughter brought the family conflict into sharp relief.
The baby was named after the deceased mother, a choice that Sharon found deeply offensive. Sharon and the father confronted the couple in a shopping mall, demanding that the baby's name be changed to something that would honor Sharon instead.
"It is important to set boundaries and limit ourselves from people, even family, that are not serving us well in our lives," Novak said. "Setting limits and boundaries towards the father and Sharon will be necessary for them to create more of positive energy and to release family turmoil from their lives."
Viewers on Reddit overwhelmingly supported the couple's stance, with many condemning Sharon for her insensitivity and praising the couple for honoring the memory of the husband's mother with their child's name.
"Imagine thinking a man named his child after his dead mother at you," one viewer said. "This says a whole lot about why the relationship with the stepmom never flourished."
"Yeah came here to say that, cannot believe the audacity to accuse someone of intentionally trying to hurt their feelings by naming their child after their dead mother," another added.
"Aww, you did right by your mom. I hope you know that," one user wrote.
Newsweek reached out to u/electricalleague1580 via Reddit for more information.
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