Brother-In-Law Is FURIOUS We're "Stealing" His Baby Name From His Hypothetical Child

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER_00] Hey Waffle Gang, I do hope you're well. My name is Mark and today we're checking out some more Reddit Stories. And if you do love a Reddit Story, why not consider that like, subscribe, maybe that notification bell too. And let's crack on with today's first story. Much love guys. And our first story comes from that sloth 5900 that says, Am I the arsehole for wanting to name my baby the same name my boyfriend's brother wants to name his son?

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_00] Throw away account because my family and friends know my main one and I don't want him to see this post. So my boyfriend and I have been together for a while, one and a half years and we've decided we wanted a baby. It's going to be a boy, very clearly a boy and we decided on a name, Bjorn.

[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_00] My boyfriend's brother called us today after we announced to my boyfriend's mom, dad and sister that lives with his parents what our son's name is going to be. And one of them, we don't know who yet, told boyfriend's little brother what we've decided to call our son. And boyfriend's little brother went off at us over the phone.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00] According to boyfriend's little brother, my boyfriend has known for 10 years what he wanted to name his son if he ever had one. He has a daughter and told everyone that if she was a boy, his name would be Bjorn. My boyfriend doesn't remember him ever saying that and no one ever mentioned anything to us when we told them that us, that his little brother wanted the name and had for 10 years.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00] On the call, he was really aggressive. He started the phone call with, what's this about stealing my son's name? There was no hello, no what's up, nothing. Just straight to angrily asking us that. My boyfriend was visibly confused, asked him what he meant and boyfriend's little brother started on about how my boyfriend had known for 10 years that he wanted to name his son Bjorn if he ever had a boy.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00] Why were we taking it? Asking us not to name our son Bjorn and that if we did, to cut him out of our lives as it's a big fuck you to him. My boyfriend said we'd been thinking about changing his name. But his little brother just aggressively said that if we didn't change the name, he'd hate us and cut us out of his life. My boyfriend ended up hanging up on him as he kept going off on us. And then his wife jumped in on yelling at us and telling us we're arseholes and how could we do this to them etc.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_00] My boyfriend genuinely didn't know or doesn't remember ever hearing his little brother ever saying anything about wanting his son to be named Bjorn if they ever had a boy. He's Scottish and wants to honor that. So he went through a baby name list and went through all the names he likes and ended up picking Bjorn. I have to admit, I wasn't fully in love with the name at first but I've come around to it. But now I can't imagine his name being anything other than Bjorn.

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00] My boyfriend went quiet after the call and I can tell he's struggling a little. He loves the name Bjorn. We've been calling him Bjorn since we found out he was a boy. But he loves his little brother and doesn't want him cut out of his life. I, as I'm not close to his brother, really don't care other than the struggle it's causing with my boyfriend. I love the name now as well and I don't want to change his name at all. I don't see the issue of having cousins named the same name. Siblings, yeah, but not cousins.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_00] But that might just be me. So, I'm here to ask. Are we the assholes for wanting to name our son Bjorn? When that's apparently what his little brother wants to name his son, if he ever has one. Edits. Hey, it's the boyfriend here. The missus asked me to explain the history and reasoning behind the name. My family origins are from Kirkwall. Our family has strong Norse Gaelic origins from the Scandinavian settlement of the area in the 8th slash 9th century.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00] Bjorn is a popular Nordic origin name and not that uncommon with the Norse Gaelic parts of Scotland. And although my family is Scottish, I love the name and that it pays homage to our origins. My parents are from Kirkwall, Scotland and I'm Australian born. Also, Bjorn is only on some Scottish boys names list. Not common. But is common on the Nordic Gaelic boy name list. So, the first commenter says to OP. Not the arsehole. Does he have a copyright claim on the name?

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00] Is the younger brother even married with kids on the way? There could be a big Bjorn and little Bjorn. Lol. OP says he is married but doesn't have another one on the way that we know of. But that's what I was thinking or even using our son's nickname. Which is Bear because that's what Bjorn means. And calling his son Bjorn. Commodore says I think your boyfriend had that unusual name buried in the subconscious after hearing his brother mention it.

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_00] I looked it up since I can only think of the tennis player and Bjorn means Bear. Maybe one of y'all could name your son Theodore. Teddy for short. In any case, no one owns the name and you can both use it. If you gave your sons different middle names, you could call them Bjorn Lee and Bjorn David at family gatherings. OP says honestly, he might have. But the meaning is exactly what I've come around to the name. Well that and I'd start thinking of my son as Bjorn. I can't think of it as anything else at this point.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00] We wanted to have the nickname of our little bear for our baby boy. Another commenter says not the arsehole. No one owns a name. However, you both have to ask yourself whether this name is worth losing a relationship with your brother-in-law slash brother. Personally, because there's no significant reason for that name. I'd choose something else. OP says I personally don't care whether I lose a relationship with my brother-in-law. This is the second time I've heard from slash seen him in the year and a half I've been with my boyfriend.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00] But I think that's something my boyfriend is wrestling with now. But on the significance of the name, there is none for my brother-in-law either. He just liked the name and wants to name his son that one day. Just how my boyfriend and I decided on the name. The commenter replies to that saying, If your boyfriend and his brother have a good relationship, you should care because you don't want them to lose that relationship. A year and a half is not long, so only seeing your other half's family a few times is fairly normal.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00] Yeah, but obviously it matters to him to the extreme of cutting his brother off. OP says they do and don't. Most of his family calls every week, if not every fortnight. Except for his little brother. He loves his brother, but he's not particularly close with him. His little brother is the only biological he has, so. And yeah, I guess it does. But the name also means a great deal to us as well. Not in the typical sense that it's got a meaningful significance to us.

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_00] But it's what we had decided on for our son's name. So it means a lot to us as well. Another commenter says, Just for clarification because the wording threw me off a bit. Are you currently pregnant? Not the arse all either way, but I'll take into consideration the fact that choosing the name may likely alter your boyfriend and his brother's relationship. Your boyfriend should really be the one to decide in this particular case as it will affect him the most. OP says, Yeah, I'm six months pregnant right now and I know.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00] He's the one that told me about making the post to see if I was an arsehole or not. I think these comments will factor into his decision, but the love for his little brother might win out. Another commenter says, Not the arsehole. You didn't know he wanted to name his potential future son Bjorn. There is no guarantee that he will have one either. He could end up with just daughters. He's definitely overreacting. I do want to say I love the name Bjorn. However, if it's important to your husband to give your son a Scottish name, Bjorn isn't it.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00] The name Bjorn is of Nordic slash Scandinavian origin and means bear. In the Old Norse language. Regardless of his origin, it's a beautiful name. Best of luck with your boyfriend bro. I hope he calms down and congratulations. How about the upcoming birth of your son? OP says that's what I thought. He's got a daughter and he could very well only ever have daughters. My partner is very into the history of the Scottish names as well.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00] And apparently the Nordic and Scottish names mixed and you'll find a lot of Nordic names are also Scottish names. I don't know if it's true, but I've fallen in love with the name now. And I can't imagine naming him anything else. But thank you. I hope he does calm down and comes around to the fact that he's going to have a nephew and be happy for us. And a commenter says, Has OP's boyfriend's family known about the name from the brother? OP says I've asked everyone in this family.

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_00] And no one remembers my brother, my boyfriend's brother saying that he wanted this name for his son. Nor does he have a record of it anywhere. So it was a bit over a month later that OP did come in with an update. And it said, So it's been about a month since my last post and my boyfriend's brother apparently really wants the name Bjorn for his son. As he changed his name to Bjorn a few days after he found out we were naming our son Bjorn. Boyfriend's brother sent a message in my boyfriend's family group chat.

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_00] And announced to everyone that his legal name is Bjorn middle name last name. And all he was waiting for was the change in his documents and his driving license to be done. Boyfriend's brother said that he told everyone in his family that he wanted the name Bjorn for his son. And I've asked everyone in my boyfriend's family if that was true. Both his mother and father have said that when he blew up at us about the name, it was the first time they'd ever heard him say that. His sister said the same thing.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_00] His other sister claims that he's told everyone for years. Although I'm pretty sure that's just her supporting her brother. As they're closer than anyone in their family and really only talk to each other about things. So I believe he told her he wanted the name for his son. But didn't tell anyone else. It's taken me this long to get over his petty ass bullshit. So I decided to finally give an update on the situation. And I'm sure this is the last update I'm going to give. At least until our son is born.

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_00] And boyfriend's brother realizes that his plan to get us to change our son's name has failed. And we're called assholes for actually naming our son what we said we would. Edit. I just want to add. I thought the name was of Scottish origin. That the baby name list that said it was Scottish were accurate. But I have since been informed it's not. It's Nordic or Scandinavian. And we still want to name our son Bjorn. Regardless of the fact as we love the name. So on the back of this another commenter says to OP.

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00] Boyfriend's brother sounds psycho. I mean you said he already had a daughter. Is him and his wife planning to have another child? And there is a chance they'll just have another girl if they do. Changing his own name means nothing. OP says I have no idea. He doesn't tell my boyfriend his family plans. People saying OP should just get another name for her son. And let brother-in-law have the name. OP says of course I am. Because the first time I ever heard he wanted the name for his future hypothetical son.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_00] Was when he was screaming down the phone at me and my boyfriend. I chose the name knowing it would cause issues. And I of course am keeping a name I love just to cause issues. Thank you for pointing that out to me. Commenter says so now the brother has legally changed his own name to Bjorn previous first name. Whatever his last name is just to thumb his nose at you. For resisting changing yours. As yet unborn baby's name from the one that he claims he's always wanted for his hypothetical. Still non-existent at this point son.

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_00] Does the brother want everyone to start calling him Bjorn now too? Talk about monomaniacal. OP says he does actually. He changed his name after my boyfriend told his brother that weird me and my boyfriend think about. And we, my boyfriend, my boyfriend's brother, my boyfriend's brother's wife and I would talk about it more later. And we all had calmer heads. Instead of taking that suggestion to heart. And coming back in a few days to talk about it. He raced out to change his name.

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_00] And that's all we hear through the family group chat. Another commenter says not the arsehole. Your boyfriend's brother is throwing a full blown tantrum worthy of a toddler because he didn't get his way with a name. Weaponizing legal name changes and then lying to the entire family about years of wanting the name is textbook manipulation to try and guilt you two into submission. Keep your name and honestly mute or block the brother until after the baby is born. You're worried about being petty.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00] He's actively sabotaging your joyful moment because he prioritizes his own ego over family peace. And OP says that's exactly what their mother said. Commenter replies saying, I'd tell him, Here be the godfather. And you're naming your son after him. OP says,

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_00] OP says, And personally, I'm glad that OP stuck to their guns on this situation. He sounds wild, that guy, right?

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_00] But there was a lot of people hung up on the name honoring their Scottish heritage and saying that is absolutely wild. That them wanting a child after one year at the same time is wild in itself. And then you've got this brother at the same time who's also wild as hell. What do you guys make of this situation? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below. And let's move on to another story. Now our next story comes from purplewinner8587 from the Am I the Arsehole subreddit.

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER_00] And it says, Am I the Arsehole for telling my girlfriend to go and ask to be adopted by the couple she is so obsessed with? My girlfriend Katie made a new friend a few months ago. Mary. Katie talked about her a lot. Mary said this, did that, started teaching her something, etc. I thought it was a bit weird how much Katie seemed to look up to Mary, but I didn't think much of it until Mary's husband, Joe, entered the picture too. From then on,

[00:14:30] [SPEAKER_00] Katie talked about their relationship all the time. How they do things, how they divide the chores, how respectful they are to each other. Basically, how they're just the best couple ever. I've met them too, and they're honestly nothing special. Maybe a bit on the boring side even. Yesterday evening, Katie was once again going on about them, saying things like Mary and Joe are true soulmates, and theirs is the healthiest relationship she's ever seen, blah, blah, blah.

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_00] I had a really fucking long day at work, so I told her, I don't want to hear about them. I don't care about her creepy crush on this random ass couple. But if she likes them so much, she should go and ask them to adopt her, or ask if she can be their third. Katie then gave me the cold shoulder and left to go home to her apartment, instead of sleeping at my place like she was supposed to. I need to know if I'm right, and her obsession is creepy, or I'm not seeing something right. Am I the ass soul here? So Ray says to this one,

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER_00] you're the ass soul my friend. She's trying to tell you what she wants out of your relationship, without hurting you, or making you feel defensive. Practical says, while you're not wrong, and he is the ass soul, she needs to open her mouth, and actually say what she wants. All of this hinting, and subliminal messaging, is not the way, and all it's doing is creating discord. He isn't picking up on hints, and all he sees there is her constantly fawning over two people, and he doesn't get it, even after meeting them.

[00:15:59] [SPEAKER_00] If she wants her boyfriend to change, then she needs to lay it out for him, what she is looking for in a relationship. Miss Cats Meow says, To be fair to Katie, a bunch of internet strangers read a secondhand account of what she said, and we got it. Alarming says, you're the ass soul. Bet Joe would never tell Mary to shut up. She often feel threatened from hearing that other people have their shit together. Katie was talking about her friends. That's a pretty normal conversation. You're taking it personally. Why?

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_00] Do you think Katie is trying to tell you something? Preference says, you're the ass soul. She's trying to tell you what she wants in yours relationship, and you were just showing her that you don't give a shit. And that's pretty much what I was thinking as we was reading through that post, that, you know, she sees something that she wants out of the relationship. Could it be communicated better? Potentially, of course. But, I get where she was coming from. But, OP did come back with a little update and said,

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_00] she finally text me back. She wrote a long ass message saying that she had tried everything with me, and she thought if she was patient and clear about her needs, I would eventually change for her. But, she realized, thanks to Mary and Joe, that it's not a job to raise a man and get her boyfriend to respect her. She wrote a lot of other things about Mary too, like that Mary is truly proud of her husband and looks up to him. Meanwhile, she, Katie, can't find it in herself to look up to me in anything and so on. So yeah,

[00:17:28] [SPEAKER_00] I hope you're all happy. You got what you wanted. And when someone finishes off a post like that, you can kind of tell what they were about in the end, right? It sort of gives you a hint into their kind of life that there's, they would never see fault in themselves, et cetera. But, what do you guys make of this one? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below, and let's move on to another story. Now our next story comes from the AmityArseal subreddit from SquarePoint. It's 4234,

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER_00] and it says, am I the arse of for calling husband unreasonable for canceling the holiday trip? My husband and I have been together for four years. I have two kids, 17 male and 19 female, and the half brother is three years old. This past week, my husband had an emergency. Dad had a medical emergency, and wanted someone to watch our son. He asked my older son, and he refused because he was going out with friends. He also asked my daughter, but she locked herself in her room to study.

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_00] I was at the restaurant with my brother, meeting his girlfriend for the first time. My husband ended up taking our son with him to the hospital, and his mom watched him from there. He came home and was lashing out on everybody, calling us selfish and unfeeling. I tried to explain that the kids were busy, but he told me to get the F out with that bull, because my older son could have skipped the hangout and watched his brother, and my daughter could have watched her brother while studying, instead of locking herself in her room.

[00:18:57] [SPEAKER_00] He scolded me as well, but I told him I couldn't leave lunch with my brother since he was visiting town, and this was my only chance to meet his girlfriend. He yelled some more, then told us that he was canceling the family holiday trip for Christmas this year. The two older kids were upset and said it was unfair. I called him unreasonable to cancel the trip and punish the kids, and possibly me like that. He refused to discuss it later. Now me and the kids aren't speaking to him,

[00:19:25] [SPEAKER_00] and he's saying good riddance. Nah, I absolutely feel for him in this situation. Your husband's dad had a medical emergency. That's not just running errands or anything like that. It was a crisis moment, and when he reached out to people that, in his own household, that he thought he could trust, every single person turned around and said, my thing that I'm doing is more important than that. Do I think canceling the holiday trip was the best response? Probably not,

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_00] but I understand where he's coming from at the same time. No one had his back when it mattered the most. But a commenter says, just to add, the three-year-old is your son too. Your husband had a genuine emergency, and instead of reacting with compassion, you had to stay at the restaurant. This doesn't even add up. The father's wife had to watch the toddler while her husband was being treated. If this is real, I'm going with you're the asshole. Another commenter says, you're the asshole. Any single one of you could,

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_00] and should have dropped what you were doing. You were all selfish. Nothing any of you were doing was life and death. Meanwhile, what your husband was dealing with could have been. You all suck. That poor man has no support from his own damn family. Another commenter says, you're the asshole. Medical emergency, overhanging out. Medical emergency, overstudying. Medical emergency, overlunchy munchies. Opie then adds an edit after some of the comments and says,

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_00] my husband was supposed to watch our son at the time. That's why I went to see my brother at the restaurant. The kids aren't used to watching their brother when neither parent is home. Commenter adds after that saying, you're the asshole. Let me fix the title of your post. My husband canceled a holiday trip because my kids and I are unreasonable and just found out we couldn't care less about him or his family. Edits. Seriously, Opie, stop adding edits. You're so far away from being helpful to anyone, including yourself in this situation.

[00:21:20] [SPEAKER_00] Just stop. It appears you and your older kids will be getting consequences this year for Christmas. Commenter says, the edit is just bizarre. Like the concept of emergency really doesn't compute for this Opie. I don't grasp that to normal people. People who are capable of having the cognitive process of, ah yes, this is an abnormal crisis situation that requires me to deviate from my normal routines and priorities. None of that is relevant information. So, as you can imagine,

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00] the majority of comments on this one was you're the asshole because it was a genuine medical emergency. But Opie shortly follows up with a small update and says, my husband just told us that he'll be spending Christmas with his family saying he needs to be around his dad anyway. The kids said they will just go to their dad since they and my husband are still not talking. Neither of the kids are happy with how things turned out. So, I feel like things have gotten out of hand and the problem got bigger.

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_00] He's now choosing to basically abandon us on Christmas and also keep our son away from me and his siblings. Bloody hell. But what do you guys make of this situation? How would you deal with it if it was you? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below. I just a huge thank you for being here today, getting involved in the stories, your love, your support, your time. It always means the absolute world to me. So, thank you so, so much for being here. Truly, it's absolutely amazing and hopefully,

[00:22:49] [SPEAKER_00] I'll see you in the next one. Take care and much love.