Naming a baby is a very important decision and it's not uncommon for parents to call their children after someone special in their lives such as a grandparent or a best friend. However, one man has caused some controversy online after he told his wife he would like to name their first child after his ex-girlfriend, the Mirror reports.
The dad-to-be explained that he was in a great relationship with his ex, Nancy, for six years and when they couple split up they remained close pals until Nancy sadly passed away two years later. The man is eager to honour his ex lover by naming his daughter after her but his wife was not pleased by the 'strange' idea and the disagreement has caused 'issues' between the couple.
The man explained that he was already in a long-term relationship with his wife when Nancy passed but he was absolutely 'devastated' by the passing of his 'dear friend' who was very important to him. However, his controversial idea has caused some backlash online after social media users told him it wasn't fair that his wife would have a 'daily reminder' of his ex-girlfriend in the form of her own child.
Taking to Reddit, the man wrote: "My wife and I are expecting a child in 12 weeks' time. We don't know the sex of the baby but we've started thinking about baby names.
"A couple of nights ago we were suggesting names. I had a girlfriend for around six years before meeting my now wife. Unfortunately, she passed away and I was absolutely devastated.
"It's still painful to think about and I always imagined naming a child in her memory. I also just love the name itself (Nancy).
"When I made the suggestion to my wife she seemed unimpressed. She told me she didn't really feel comfortable with doing that. She felt it was strange and didn't make sense as Nancy had been my girlfriend.
"The way I see it is that Nancy was very important to me for a really long time. She was my best friend and losing her was just a terrible thing.
"I feel as though it would be a great way to remember and honour a dear friend who I miss every day. My wife doesn't share my views and honestly, it has caused a lot of issues.
"I dropped it and said it was important we both agreed on the name but she's still insisting it's strange and she doesn't understand why I suggested it. I don't know if she feels insecure or maybe the pregnancy is stressing her but she just won't drop it. I honestly don't see the issue whatsoever."
The man later offered some more context on the situation in response to Reddit users' comments as he revealed that he had met his now-wife two months before he split from his ex-girlfriend. He explained that when Nancy passed away two years later, he was already in a long-term relationship with his wife.
He added: "I just wanted to make it clear that myself and Nancy weren't together when she passed. Nancy passed around two years after we separated but we decided to stay friends.
"I met my wife around 2 months before Nancy and I separated. I probably should have mentioned that in the original post but maybe it doesn't make much of a difference."
Despite this extra clarification, Reddit users were largely on the wife's side as many of them told the man it was okay for him to be grieving but it was unfair on his wife to have to 'grow a baby for nine months' and be forced to name her own child after his ex-girlfriend. One person commented: "It's okay to still feel sad, but your wife does not need a daily reminder of your ex-girlfriend.
"I'll be damned if I grow a baby for nine months just to name it after my husband's ex. You need to show more respect to your wife and ask her to forgive you.
Someone else added: "Naming your child after your ex is so wildly inappropriate. Your wife has no ties to Nancy, so why would she want to name her child after a stranger?
"Especially the one who makes her sound like second place. It gives 'I would be with her instead of you if she were still alive' vibes." After reading the opinions of others, the dad-to-be confessed the name choice was a 'weird idea' and insisted he would apologise to his wife.
Responding to the comments, he wrote: "It seems like most people have said that I'm wrong in this situation which is understandable. I think I'll apologise again and hopefully, the situation will end there.
"It probably was a weird idea and maybe I wasn't seeing that clearly as I'm still grieving to some extent."
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