What's in a name?
Studies show quite a lot actually.
The name your parents choose for you can have an impact on the rest of your life.
Because a name is so important, one expectant father turned to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole" for a WIBTA (Would I Be The A**hole) question to seek some advice about the name for his son. Or more specifically, about reneging on a deal he made with his wife about the name for their son.
GroundbreakingJelly3 asked:
"WIBTA if I break the deal I made with my wife that she gets to name our male children, because she wants to name our son Lannister of the GoT Lannisters?"
The man explained:
"When we got married, my wife and I made a deal that she gets to name our male children while I get to name the females. Our first child is a girl and I named her."
"Our second child is a boy, so my wife should be the one to name him. However, when she told me that she wanted to name our son Lannister after her favorite Game of Thrones family, I put my foot down."
The soon-to-be dad added:
"I'd have no problem if she wanted to name our dog Lannister, but this is our son."
"I asked her if she really wanted him to be named after a family of villains, but she just reminded me of our deal. She said she liked the Lannisters and it was her turn to name our child, so he would be named Lannister."
"We've had this conversation countless times and she refuses to budge."
"I'm throwing a fit because she wants to name him after a family of incestuous murderers. My son could be bullied his whole life for this."
"The birth will be a C-section and I'm seriously considering filling in the paper work myself while she's still out."
"I know this might sound unfair to my wife given our deal, but wouldn't it be more unfair to my son if he was named after a family of power grabbing incestuous wine guzzling villains?"
People thought how he handles the situation will decide if he is the a**hole.
"[Not The A**hole] NTA, the way I've always heard, each parent gets unlimited vetoes on names. She can still pick the name, but not this one. It should be that way for you picking female names."
"[You Would Be The A**hole] YWBTA if you fill out the paperwork and pick the name yourself. That's way over the line." ~ flyinpanda
"NTA. Some second names aren't meant to be first names."
"It's a stupid f-ing name as a first name."
"Have you considered asking her if she would have Lannister as a middle name? For example the boys name could be Jamie Lanister (last name)?"
"Don't think that would be so bad." ~ Electron_woman
"NTA. That child would be bullied mercilessly. I say you get veto power, but she still gets to come up with names." ~ sonic_banana
After he made it clear his wife would not budge on using Lannister as a middle name or picking something else, one person suggested a Game of Thrones solution.
"Trial by combat seems to be the only reasonable way towards resolution." ~ jsjones60
People took the man to task for suggesting going behind his wife's back while she's unconscious.
"100% YTA [You Would Be The A**hole] if pick your son's name and put it on the birth certificate while your wife is in surgery. That's despicable."
"...I just think that's super gross to even suggest doing that. Dude, the mother of your child is having her f-ing abdomen cut open for your kid, not running out to the grocery store. Have some respect..."
"My suggestion would be to find a similar sounding name (Lance, Landon, Lannis?, Lancelot) or just forget this idea of each person picking and try to pick it together."
"I agree, Lancelot is crazy. I figured I had to throw in a crazy one since OP's wife likes crazy names."
"Lancelot is a knight who has an affair with Guinevere and kills King Arthur(? or inadvertently leads to him dying or near dying in a battle. So many different versions)."
"Probably one of the inspirations for Jamie Lannister. Lesser of evils in my book, and could be easily shortened to Lance down the road." ~ MizBird
But one respondent said the couple were both to blame for the situation.
"ESH (Everyone S**ks Here): You f-ed up with that deal. You can't name the kid without your wife's knowledge; that road leads to divorce."
"You are parents and grown ups. Find an agreement that adults do, not children." ~ reallythisistrue
The OP responded:
"It seemed like a good deal back then, I get to name my daughters and she gets to name her sons."
"How was I supposed to know that she would want to name him Lannister?"
The man did not come to a final decision on what to do in his post.
Moral of the story? The saying "it seemed like a good idea at the time" exists for a good reason.
Think long and hard about the consequences before making a deal with your significant other.
And to be fair, if the child is named Lannister (just say he was named for Tyrion!) there is some AWESOME swag available to decorate that nursery.
We sort of hope his wife wins this argument so the coolest nursery ever can be made.
Plus, when their son gets older, the family can roll up to those youth soccer and t-ball games decked out in Team Lannister professional garb! That kid would be the envy of all his teammates.
Team Lannister!
@IrnaEnglish/X