How do I get my mother to back off?


Backroads
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My husband also has the excuse "Backroads will completely out-of-it in the hospital and I'll be holding the microphone at the blessing."

My husband once threatened this, jokingly.

I work with a woman named James. James V (as in "the Fifth"), to be precise. Obviously, dear old dad wanted to carry on the family tradition, and he wasn't going to let a little thing like lack of a son stop him.

Lol.

Btw, moving 663.8 miles away from her parents, was one of the greatest decisions my wife and I ever made together. She did not agree with that statement for several years. Nowadays, she believes it more strongly than I ever did.

A lot of problems occasionally just solve themselves by sticking a big honkin' mountain range in between you and some other people.

Amen to that! One of the best things a newly married couple can do is move far away from both sets of parents for the first 2-3 years, as they establish themselves as a family entity separate from each others' families.

Yep, just look to the celebrities to pick an awful name. Rumor, Blanket, Apple, Tennessee, Inspector Pilot, Moon Unit, Dweezil......

Hey, I like the name Rumor!

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My parents (and in-laws) are really good about giving advice when solicited and keeping out of our business otherwise. I'm really grateful for that, especially since my mom and I never really had a very good relationship until after I got married. They've always stayed out of naming conversations with us, except for once.

I was telling my mom that I like the name Faye. She had a nearly violent reaction of disgust against the idea of my using the name. I'd never seen anything like that from her, but she wouldn't explain why. A year or two later, I was looking through a baby scrapbook and I found a letter that my great-great-aunt wrote to my parents a few weeks after I was born. In it, she referenced a woman named Faye, and suddenly I realized who it was. [Warning: very dirty family laundry ahead] I have an uncle who has been in prison since I was about 3 months old. I've never met him. In fact, he's now my aunt, I think. He's quite mentally disturbed. He's in prison for stabbing his wife to death...27 times. His wife's name was Faye, which I'd never known until that moment. Suddenly I understood why my mom wouldn't want me to use that name -- it would be too reminiscent of my uncle, which would obviously be painful and awkward throughout the extended family. As much as I do like the name, I respect that and won't use it (I'm done having kids now anyway).

So if there's a specific reason, I might take it under consideration. But if it's just that she doesn't much like it (heck, I don't like "LeGrand"), and she's pressuring you against using a name that obviously has special significance to your husband, whose child it also is, then I'd take a stand.

Or pray for a girl.

Edited by Wingnut
clarify slightly
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I have a friend whose mother wanted to name her, Dia (pronounced, Die-ah). Sounds pretty. But then she wanted to give her middle name a family name, Rhea. It wasn't until my friend's dad asked, "You really want to call her diarrhea?"

That is not a joke.

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My husband also has the excuse "Backroads will completely out-of-it in the hospital and I'll be holding the microphone at the blessing."

This actually happened to my mother-in-law at her blessing. When he gave her a blessing, he changed her name, and gave her a different than the name on her birth certificate.

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Well, if you didn't ask her advice during the conception, and you're not likely to be in any condition to take more than the simplest advice during the birth, I'm not sure why she gets so much input on the naming.

OTOH, I dated a girl named Summer. Didn't think much about it until I met her sister, Autumn. The birthdays didn't match up. Then I thought about it. They were named after the seasons they were conceived in. That's just a little weird, even by my standards.

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OTOH, I dated a girl named Summer. Didn't think much about it until I met her sister, Autumn. The birthdays didn't match up. Then I thought about it. They were named after the seasons they were conceived in. That's just a little weird, even by my standards.

Makes it sound like their conceptions were unusual, singular events...

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I'm in the blunt category. Tell her she had the opportunity to name her children, and now it is you and your husbands turn. Tell her you love her, but it is time for her to stop.

I had to put my foot down with my FIL on the name issue.

I also tell my wife that our first son is named after the guitarist in Rush (he isn't really, though the name is the same). Ohhhh the look I get when I say that...heh heh heh.

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We do not know what gender of baby we have until the end of the month. We have settled on a girl name (Jade--ain't it sweet?) but a boy name is still up for debate. My husband really wants the name LeGrande after his apparently wonderful, celestial, salt-of-the-earth grandfather (died a few years before we met).

I knew someone that had the name LeGrande that fits that description perfectly. He also died a few years back. His last name wasn't Rane was it? :)

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This actually happened to my mother-in-law at her blessing. When he gave her a blessing, he changed her name, and gave her a different than the name on her birth certificate.

My Aunt too. Grandma called her by another name for three months. Grandpa got up and named her something else.

My husband threatened to do this with our third son. :D

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My Aunt too. Grandma called her by another name for three months. Grandpa got up and named her something else.

My husband threatened to do this with our third son. :D

I won't be able to do it anymore since we feel 5 children is a good number for us. However, I would always joke with my wife, "If you like the name and I don't, remember, I always have the last say."

She at times would smile and walk away, other times she would give me a short jab to the stomach, if she was close enough, or she would jokingly say, "And remember I always have the freedom to leave you." HA ;)

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Jade is a cool boys name too. Played football with a Jade(he was also in our ward) growing up.

That actually might work. My husband graduated in geology (not quite, still working on a math class he's failed twice) and he suggested all this gem/rock names for girls, and I fell in love with Jade. THat wouldn't be too hard to transfer to a boy.

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...

My reaction to the name? Rather neutral. I like old-fashioned names, I've recently seen several cute little boys with this first name, and I like that it means so much to my husband. Not crazy about the sound of the name, but not opposed to it. Personally would prefer it as a middle name. Hence, the name is still up in the air while we search for a boy name we both like.

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My mother is vehemently opposed to this name.

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Also take into consideration if the child will be made fun of for the name if she/he will use it as a middle name if you want it badly, but fear the child will get made fun of.

Your mother has no say, this is not her child it's yours. My mom always tells me (this may not apply to you) never live close to any of the parents because they will try to control what you do with the child and it will cause issues in your marriage.

Tell your mother (make sure she gets the point) it's not her child and see has no say, but if you want her to tell her she can give you guys name suggestions but she will not get to decide what the name will be, that's your job and your husbands.

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