‘My mum thinks the name I’ve chosen for my son is a prank’

The grandmother-to-be said the name would be more appropriate for a horse (Image: Getty) A man has detailed the disappointing response he received from his mother after revealing the baby name he had chosen for his first son. The incident was brought up on the world-famous forum Reddit after the parents were mocked by family members for choosing such an unorthodox moniker. The case was detailed by a first-time dad with an interest in philosophy and mythology after he opted for a big name with a “lot of history’. According to the Reddit post, the name and his wife became instantly enamored by the name Nikiforos, which means ‘bringer of victory’. Taking to Reddit, the father-to-be wrote: ‘I am literally a name nerd. Since my wife and I are currently in the process of adopting, we have been talking about this a lot. The dad-to-be was determined to give his son a unique moniker (Image: Getty) ‘When we broke the news to my parents, they were so happy for us. But last weekend, they asked if we have a name in mind and this is where the trouble began.’ The man’s mother, in particular, struggled to get on board with the unique moniker and argued that the child would become a laughingstock. ‘When I first read the name Nikiforos, I knew it would be that of my future child,’ he added. ‘My mother freaked out and said she might name a horse that, but not a child. ‘We were very upset by this comparison. My mother doesn’t even own a horse, so we felt she just said that to hurt our feelings.’ Adding insult to injury, the mother asked whether the parents-to-be planned to adopt a boy or girl, as the name would be better suited to a female. ‘We said a boy,’ noted the poster. ‘But she said that other kids would think our son is a girl. ‘She asked if we ever thought about being in public and having to call for him. ‘Nikiforos! You forgot your lunchbox!’. ‘Then she tried to imitate horse sounds and stomped up and down the stairs. My father was suspiciously quiet while my mother was ridiculing our personal choices.’ Just as they thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, the senior family member asked if the discussion was simply a prank, which reduced the man’s wife to tears. Internet users labelled the grandmother’s reaction insensitive (Image: Getty) ‘My mother seemed annoyed and asked to see the rest of our name list,’ the man added, pushing him and his wife to leave. Tired of being ridiculed, the couple passed on dinner and went straight to bed, but when they asked for the public’s opinion on the matter, the ridicule continued. ‘The names you’ve picked are over-the-top,’ wrote one user. ‘Your child will be bullied. Don’t punish your child with a crazy name that will lead to them just changing it when they can and resenting you.’ Others on the forum were more sympathetic, however, agreeing that the mother’s reactions were insensitive to the first-time parent’s feelings.