Mom Corrects Mother-in-Law at Family Dinner After She Takes Credit for Baby’s Name

A woman turns to the Reddit community for advice following an awkward family dinner where her mother-in-law took credit for naming her 11-month-old daughter.

She explains in her post that she and her husband have been married for almost two years and that the name came from a beloved character in a “very popular book/movie franchise” they both enjoy.

“When we found out we were having a girl, one of the names that was immediately top contender was the name of a character I really like,” she says. Over time, that name became the only one she wanted, and the couple eventually shared it with their parents.

She remembers her mother-in-law questioning whether there might be an alternative spelling that could cause confusion. “I had said no it wouldn’t and had explained to her the subtle difference in pronunciation,” she recalls. “It was a whole conversation I’d had with her.”

Fast forward to a family gathering at her in-laws’ home for dinner. Her brother-in-law and his wife were there as well, and everyone was watching the baby cruise around the room, laughing and glancing back to see who was watching.

Her sister-in-law’s wife remarked how radiant the baby looks and how she’d “really taken to her name literally.” That’s when her sister-in-law said it was a “really good choice by my MIL,” leaving the new mom confused.

“I asked what she’s talking about and my SIL said that my MIL had been the one to recommend the name, right?” she shares. Her mother-in-law then chimes in to agree, saying she’d said it was a good name.

The poster remembers being “literally stunned for a second” before speaking up. She made it clear she was the one who came up with the name, sharing how she knew of it and that her husband also recognized it from the franchise.

She even turned to her husband for confirmation, which he gave — though uncomfortably. Her mother-in-law responded that “names are a collective family effort, and everyone pitched in,” but the woman still pushed back. “I still said this name was one that was very dear to me and it was one I’d come up with,” she explains.

Later that night, when they got home, her husband started receiving texts from his mom and sister. While he told her she’s correct in her version of events, he also said she was “tactless.”

“He said we know it was my name, and our daughter has a beautiful name that suits her, why make it into something that causes bitterness,” she recounts. The next day, her husband had a routine phone call with his mother, and she asked if her mother-in-law is still upset.

“He said she was,” the woman writes. “He said that he understood why I did it but it wasn’t the time and place.” That’s when she turned to Reddit to ask if she was wrong.

One commenter calls out her husband’s stance, quoting his words: “ ‘He said that he understood why I did it but it wasn’t the time and place.’ Did he happen to share with you when would have been a better time to correct your mother in law’s revisionist history and why he didn’t have a word with her and correct her himself? Big fat, NTA.”

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The original poster replies that her husband never gave a specific alternative moment. “No, he didn’t say it but he said it shouldn’t have been clarified in front of an audience,” she explains. “So I’m assuming he meant when it was just me with MIL.”

She adds that if her mother-in-law had made the comment when they were alone, she would have corrected her then. “I didn’t enjoy saying it in front of others,” she admits. “It’s just that’s when it was brought up.”

Now she’s left wondering whether defending the truth about her daughter’s name in the moment was worth the fallout.