DPs family hate hate hate hate hate our DD's name. They had big tantrums when she was born and insisted we change it. Of course, we didn't. Then they made a special trip when she was 2 weeks old to see DP, and try to reason with DP, and convince him to talk to me about changing it . Of course, he didn't and we didn't. I assumed they'd just shut up when they realised that it was her name and we weren't changing it. They haven't. She's now 19 months old and we still get comments about her name.
Examples:
"It's okay, she'll change it as soon as she's old enough." [smug, knowing smile]
"She's very [insert personality trait] isn't she? Definitely not a [Name] - it doesn't suit her at all."
"You know, you can still use her middle name? It's not too late."
So, more niggly than downright offensive, but still rather unkind of them.
So, last time we saw them, MIL was trotting out something along the lines of the above and I said quite pleasantly but firmly that I thought that was quite enough speculation about her name as she would very very soon be able to understand what MIL was saying and it was not a very nice thing for a little girl to learn that half her family dislikes her name. I agreed that perhaps she would change it one day, but if she did it would be her decision and no one elses.
MIL is not the easiest of people. She is stubborn and outspoken. She is French, so sometimes we have misunderstanding due to language barriers and cultural clashes. My 'pleasant but firm' speech was not enough and she's still not dropped the subject.
What do I say next? How do I say it?
I am not confrontational, and am rather intimidated by MIL. She can be sneaky and sly. When we do argue she runs rings around me.
I won't let my little girl be bullied by her as she has bullied me over the years.
(Suggestions containing four letter words and shouting will be tempting but ultimately unusable )