Grandmother in law kicked off with baby name?

[tomanyanimals]

I'm due on the 22nd of December the only name me and dh like is Christian grandmother in law is a catholic and really kicked off with the fact I want to call baby Christian and he's being born at Christmas am I right to be annoyed or do other people think it is out of order and I should find something else?

Aren't Catholics Christians though?

Anyway it's none of her business.

You and your dh call the baby what you like. For this reason its best not to tell anyone until the baby is here, as it invites opinion and discussion/ ie time to change it for what they want.

Tell her you have a list of names, that's one on it and you and your dh will decide, and change the subject.

Tell her you're going to call the child Beelzebub or Lucifer. Then she'll be grateful for Christian.

I like Christian and know a Catholic who's named this. What's her problem with it?

I'm not going to change it I just don't understand why it s a problem she said its a fine name if he was being born at another time but to call the baby Christian at Christmas isn't right and will give him a lot of stigma?
I just need to try and understand why it's such a problem as it comes up every time I see her now.

None of her business.

One of my ex boyfriends was born around Christmas and called Christopher. Never did him any harm! :)

Oh dear, my EDD is two days after Christmas and Christian is on my list! Apologies to your GIL!
It's a lovely name, ignore her.

I wouldn't use Christian because what if he isn't? It seems a bit of a label to carry.

But I suppose he can be Chris or Kit and people will just think it's short for Christopher.

Um I am from a Very Catholic family. My cousin's name is Christian. He was a winter baby. Another name ive heard (not so common here) is Jesus (pronounced He-sus) - again regardless of when born. If thats OK, Christian is!! It is a common name in our culture!?!
This sounds like her opinion "dressed up" as religious knowledge tbh.

I'm inclined to agree with you Hak but the OP has asked for advice on how to handle her grandmother, not on whether we like the name.

Well you could tell her you've taken her views into account and now decided upon Noel Nicholas Santa-na.
Call the baby whatever you like. If he arrives late, call him Epiphany, Pip for short.

Maybe she just doesn't like the name and is clutching for an excuse.

I remember the 70s cheesy singer of that name.

Tell her its that or Holly, Santa or Rudolph. Either way, its not her choice.

May I ask if it's a bit of a grandmother-matriarch set up? One side of my family, the eldest mama was like the Godfather! She honestly did expect (and get) to decide a lot of things for her adult kids, and when, upon settling in the UK, their spouses objected she really struggled. Weird logic and fairy stories about things being very "common" or stigma in her country - which weren't true - were sometimes used as a last ditch attempt! Just major culture clash!

My poor old dad is now living with slightly resenting the legacy of living much of his life under her steely gaze but having modern London children for whom the idea of parent choosing jobs, baby names, house decor etc is just bizarre.

Thank you I will still be using the name unless when he's born it just really doesn't suit him Nicholas was the only other name we agreed on funnily enough I may mention that and see if we get same result.
I had the same with my first no one liked my name choice for him but now everyone agrees it suits him.
I am Christian not catholic which was a whole other bag of problems but I thought maybe I just wasn't seeing something but I agree maybe she just doesn't like the name oh well he's my son not hers :)

I don't understand her arguement at all.

You're a Christian, she's Catholic, therefore also a Christian - What's the problem? Is there another name she hoped you'd use? Her DHs name maybe?

This is your baby and the choice of name is yours. It's lovely if all the family like the name too but tough luck if they don't.

Argument*

None of her business. Also don't see the problem, why it should be an issue because he is due at Christmas? I wanted to call Dd Nathalie but DH vetoed it because she wasn't due in December!

Lovely name for a lovely baby.

My MIL is a Christian and she has also shown some very unchristian behaviour. It doesn't follow they will do the right thing.

Hakluyt - don't be daft. Christian is a name as well as a statement to describe someone and in this case it is clearly used as a name.

WhynoWhy - did he have any other reason as it is a daft one. Are you French? The English spell it with the h mostly for if you have another baby and she is girl .

It's a nice name, and you have the right to call your baby what you like (within reason). BTW, my Christmas born DD is called Holly, if she had been a boy she would have been Nicolas, and she really likes being a Christmas Holly.

Brill glad to see I wasn't being silly and it really is nothing to worry about his family have very different ideas to mine so it does cause problems so wanted to make sure it really wasn't a religious point of view so I can stand firm next time I see her and say I don't feel it is an issue and I'm sorry if she does not like the name we have chosen but we are sticking to it.

Thank you everyone

Your first mistake was telling anyone else the name before the baby's here - there will always be someone with something to say about it!

Your baby, your choice. I can't see her logic tbh.

No, DH is though (and complained that DS's name wasn't the French version). To be fair it's one of the only girls names I liked. So we're stuck with one I don't like. And two and a half years on I still don't like it.

OP take note. Name your child what you want and in the meantime refer to said child as [name you know G-MIL will really hate] and ignore everyone else (except your DH!)