Additional Coverage:
An uncle found himself in a family feud after refusing to call his newborn nephew by his elaborate, multi-part name. He turned to the internet for advice, asking Reddit users if he was wrong for using the nickname “Max” instead.
The baby’s parents bestowed a lengthy, unique name upon their son – similar in style to Maximilian Octavius Peregrine, according to the uncle. While the family appreciated the name’s distinctiveness, they naturally gravitated towards the simpler “Max.” This didn’t sit well with the child’s mother.
The sister insisted on the full name being used at all times, claiming its shortened version disrespected her and her husband’s “vision.” The uncle initially attempted to comply, but eventually found it impractical. He explained to his sister that nicknames are common and attempting to control their usage, especially when everyone naturally uses “Max,” seemed unfair.
This led to a heated argument, with the sister accusing her brother of being dismissive and threatening to limit his contact with his nephew if he didn’t adhere to her naming demands. While the parents of the siblings agree the mother is overreacting, some of her friends supported her stance on name usage.
Reddit users overwhelmingly sided with the uncle, labeling the sister’s behavior as pretentious. One commenter likened the child to “an art exhibit, not a human being.”
Another pointed out the impracticality of the long name, imagining the difficulties the child would face writing it out in kindergarten. Others offered humorous suggestions, such as jokingly adding more titles to the name each time it’s used.