A new mom took to Reddit to share a unique frustration: her newborn son’s name. Her boyfriend, Emmett, insisted on naming their baby “Chad,” after his great-grandfather.
But for her, the name was an absolute no-go. “I hate the name Chad,” she wrote. “I can’t bring myself to call him that.”
The Redditor explained that while Emmett is deeply sentimental about family, she’s not.
She even proposed a compromise: making Chad the middle name and choosing a first name she liked more, like Oliver. Emmett, however, dismissed her suggestions, setting the stage for ongoing conflict. “I felt like I didn’t matter,” she revealed.
Her worries deepened as she neared her due date.
Emmett ignored her wishes to keep the pregnancy private initially, spreading the news early on. “I asked him not to say anything because of superstitions… before I could finish, he was already on the phone with his mom and dad,” she recalled.
The pattern of Emmett overriding her preferences continued to weigh heavily on her.
When their son was born after a grueling 13-hour labor, the moment of name choice arrived.
To her shock, Emmett seized the moment, finalizing “Chad Beau Smith” on the birth certificate without her consent. Exhausted and unable to fight, she reluctantly agreed, but her resentment over the name has only grown since.
“I’ve been calling him ‘baby Beau’ or ‘Boo,’” she admitted, unable to use his given first name.
As she poured out her story online, responses flooded in, with commenters expressing shock and anger at Emmett’s behavior.
“Your boyfriend is a bully,” one commenter wrote, suggesting that a child’s name should require agreement from both parents. Others offered advice, recommending she keep calling her son by his middle name, Beau, instead of “Chad.”
Some Reddit users honed in on the deeper issues in the relationship, arguing that Emmett’s disregard was a warning sign.
“The issue your boyfriend doesn’t appreciate is that now the name has become a thing of revulsion for you,” one user explained, noting that it now symbolizes a time of vulnerability when he “steamrolled over” her wishes.
“Change the name; consider changing your boyfriend,” they advised.
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Several commenters pointed out that it’s not too late to change the name officially.
Others took a more hardline stance, criticizing Emmett for his high-handed approach to both the name and the pregnancy news. “If he acted like that, I wouldn’t have given him any say in the name,” one commenter vented. “Why does he get to choose the baby’s name?”
Beyond the baby’s name, many commenters saw red flags in Emmett’s broader treatment of his partner.
One summed it up with a chilling perspective: “This will not stop with your child’s name… he ensured that every time you say your boy’s name or hear it, you will feel small and unimportant.”
They advised her to consider what Emmett’s behavior might mean in making future decisions.
A few seasoned Reddit users turned to the root of the issue.
They highlighted that Emmett’s pattern of overriding her choices and ignoring her feelings might foreshadow future conflicts. “It’s not just the name,” another commenter warned, “it’s also telling everyone when you asked not to and forcing his decision on you when you were vulnerable.”
They cautioned that she should stay alert to these behaviors moving forward.
In the end, this frustrated mom received an outpouring of support, with people urging her to stand up for herself and her son.
Whether she decides to change the name or stick to “baby Beau” at home, the Reddit thread made one thing clear: she’s not alone in her frustrations — and maybe, she’s not overreacting at all.