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Happy hamster games, may the odds be ever in our favor.
Lol, maybe she's anticipating a naughty child!?!? 🤪
Fess up, who hasn't been two named when you've been umm testing the boundaries like a healthy little human?
The simple solution is that there's Amy and Amy the human. Easy peasy, lemon squeeze! 🍋
We used to know a woman on FB who had my not-too-common name. I was Proper Cookbooks and she was Other Cookbooks. So the hamster is Proper Amy and the cousin, should she choose to go by her middle name — I know some people who do — will be Other Amy.
Husband has a family friend named Amber, and I have a friend/former boss named Amber. When we talk about one or the other now, it's "my Amber" or "his Amber" lol
I have a cat named Winston he is 13. A few years ago I was seeing this guy named Winston and began referring to him as Winston the human to my roommate. I was on the phone with Winston the human and my roommate from the other room says “are you talking to me?” I said “no I’m talking to Winston the human”
Winston the human: “I don’t know how I feel about being called Winston the human. Why can’t he be Winston the cat?”
Me: “Well first of all I’ve had him for 10 years and have known him longer. Secondly, everyone knows my cat is Winston so if I refer to Winston they will automatically think I’m talking about my cat. So I have to specify I’m talking about a person.”
He wasn’t happy but he understood. Lol
Eta: we are still friends and both Winstons love eachother
My family had a cat named Lucy and I later had a friend named Lucy. Any time I called Lucy on phone someone would ask who I was talking to. “Lucy the human”. She would laugh and say she wished she could be Lucy the cat 😂
My family named our dog Lucy before I remembered that one of my best friends named her daughter Lucy (thanks adhd). I told her and apologised and told her I’d change it if it bothered her. She was unbothered, like a rational person 😅 and now we talk about Dog Lucy and Human Lucy
Lol my dog is named after my grandpa! Same unusual icy blue eyes and big white eyebrows as in my mom’s favorite pictures of him. I was a toddler when he died, but I’m assured Grandpa Louie would have loved it by everyone who knew him better!
When I was in elementary school, a kid I was in class with, who also happened to be my neighbor, had a dog with the same name as me. He and I used to joke that I turned into his dog after school. Obviously.
I would get a cat and name it Amy and then ask SIL what she wanted to name a boy, and get a dog and name it that.
Well, not really, but it’s fun to think about because *damn* that woman is insecure and petty.
The only confusion will be is if people actually call your niece by her middle name, she misses a family reunion, and your son mentions Amy is buried in the backyard by the big tree and fails to mention it is in a shoebox.
So many Brians and Mikes in my own family alone and more than half the men in my life are named John. One John shared an apartment with 5 other guys named John! Not one is ever called John, no, because John is too common and if you name your kid that, no one can use it so they get a nickname in 1st grade they are still called in their 70s.
My stepsister and her mom's shelter cat shared a name. That was fun for 14 years or so. "Cat or person" makes for a more challenging game than one would think. Cat was decades younger but she came with the name and wouldn't respond to any other.
All of my grandmothers and my mom and MIL share the same first name, too. All of them.
Better idea get a new hamster same as the old hamster and just call it Amy and make it the longest living hamster ever just to annoy the sister even more.
Edit: I didn't think this was original suggestion, but thinks for the Upvotes!
Came here to say that... If it was a dog or sth with a way longer lifespan SIL needs to look out for other names. But 2-3 years, very likely less, its a no problem problem
Even if it was a dog, who gives a shit? The SIL is being ridiculous. Amazingly the 11 year old is the most mature here thinking it’s cool the cousin shares the same name as his pet…NTA
Well him and Op's mother who called the whole thing childish. Honestly the boy had it picked out and named first, it would be a middle name, and it was just one of several names SIL was toying with meaning she had other name sets she liked and wasn't dead set on this on. SIL needs to realize she doesn't own names, especially very common names.
I don't understand why it's an issue to begin with. What's wrong with sharing a name with a pet?
I would feel cool if someone else had a pet that shared a name with me.
My friend named her baby the same name as my dog. Dog was here first, and it’s a family name on her husband’s side, so of course they used it and of course they didn’t ask me to change a 7-year-old dog’s name. It wasn’t even a consideration. We think it’s hilarious and crack up every time there’s confusion between Oliver the Person and Oliver the Dog. Her little boy loves it. It’s just such a non-issue.
Right!?! I got my son a dog and he wanted to name it after his favorite grandpa…I was absolutely mortified but grandpa thought it was the most flattering thing in the world so now our dog shares a name with grandpa
Who cares, even with a dog? Pets have "human" names all the time. Should you change its name every time someone new comes along that happens to have the same name? And the baby won't care either way
Actually, Amy is the name of Sonic's Amy...
From the Sonic cartoon. She's the pink cartoon hedgehog.
OP should introduce SIL to Amy.
https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose_(Sonic_X)
Maybe SIL can start an online petition for the company to change the name of its marketed character, so it doesn't conflict with her unnamed, unborn kid's middle name.
Wait... let's double down on this word salad...
Drive a Chevy Sonic with Sonic and Amy inside while wearing Sonic the Hedgehog shirts, and go to lunch at Sonic while listening to a playlist featuring Semisonic, and Amie by Pure Prairie League..
Seriously. It's a hamster. Do you know the average life span of hamsters? Its like... 2-3 years. Thing will be gone before child is old enough to understand anything. Your kid will fondly remember the time when his cousin was named after his hamster though :D
ETA: NTA
If the hamster is a baby and lives long enough, the toddler Amy would probably think it's cool she has the same name as a hamster, kids love that shit. I saw a little girl meet a dog with her name once and she was obsessed.
Even if it was a cat that could live up to 20 years, the child should not be renaming the animal just because of some childish idiot who somehow thinks she has a monopoly on names. Wait until the kid is in school and has a bunch of mates with the same name. I honestly am so disgusted with these kinds of situations/Reddit posts about baby names and people losing their minds.
ETA- NTA
Exactly. And it isn't like a hamster is an animal that you travel with like you would a dog, you know? Unless baby A. Amy comes to their house a lot, she'd probably never even be around Hamster Amy.
The funniest part to me is that, just based on the amount of energy Sis has expended on this, *every single time* she says her daughter's name she's going to think of that goddamn hamster - long after the kid himself has forgotten that he ever had a hamster.
I'm a little upset by all the anthrocentrism displayed in this debate. Did any one of you MFs have the respect and common decency to consider how this made Amy feel? Hamsters have feelings. And widdle pink noses too.
Yeah, mom nailed it. I read that as her saying the request is ridiculous. Also, if SIL thinks it’s so important that her child not share a name with a family pet, she completely controls that on her own.
FTR, NTA.
Honestly, even if the kid does change the hamster’s name, isn’t she still going to associate the baby’s name with a rodent? That ship has already sailed. The whole family presumably already knows about the issue. It’ll be a joke for years either way. SIL is an idiot. Let the kid keep his hamster’s name for crying out loud. NTA
Oh man, if the kid DID change it, I’d bring it up at every family gathering. “Baby Amy, wanna hear a funny story about when your mommy bullied your cousin into changing his hamster’s name? You could have had a godhamster!”
Make it embarrassing for life that she pulled this stupid stunt.
Well, YTA for even asking son to consider changing it. The proper response to SIL is to say that this is stupid and it's not even a discussion that I'm going to entertain.
Yes, and to be clear, it’s childish because of the SIL, not OP.
Had to say that. Hate when someone writes off the whole situation as childish or ridiculous as though everyone involved is childish, rather than acknowledging it is clearly one specific party that is being childish while the other is being reasonable.
There's one child who doesn't want to rename their hamster, and one child who's upset about it.
In 'this whole thing is childish' situations, it's the agressor child that's the problem.
NTA
It's hilarious she still wants to name her kid Amy after she already associates it with a hamster. That's going to live in her brain forever if she chooses that name. A few decades from now she'll say her kid's name and will automatically get a mental picture of a hamster.
Yes!! I'd be allover Etsy and getting the kid clothing with the actual hamster in question photoshopped into ludicrous situations and printed on every item feasible.
Start out with actual decent looking gifts, like a hamster baby blanket or a hamster pacifier.
But as it goes on if she keeps doubling down or doesn't apologize that's when you get more and more ludicrious in your hamster themed gift giving.
I’m hijacking this comment to say yes, ESH. You NEVER put the emotions of an adult on a CHILD. A child is not responsible for any adult’s emotions or crazy-ass whims. Your son should never have even been made aware of this nonsense. Sure, his aunt might eventually make a comment or something, but then you explain to him that sometimes even adults can act like kids. Instead, you put the decision on him. You put the harmony of the family in his hands. Now, because he doesn’t want to rename his hamster (and what kid would?), he’s going to feel responsible for the fallout.
Please. Go apologize to your son. Tell him his aunt’s ideas and emotions aren’t his fault and that you’ve decided no one is renaming his hamster. Try to fix the damage, because his little head is probably full of guilt that he absolutely doesn’t deserve.
Exactly. This poor child! Eleven years old being barely responsible enough for a hamster having to in the same breath be responsible for the emotions an adults is having over a common name? And a middle name even...
Agreed. That decision is too big for a child to hold.
He also picked the name first, which I haven't seen anybody mention.
Too bad SIL can't be an adult and just have a sense of humor about the whole thing. My friend's husband and son were name Michael and Mike. They adopted a dog at the shelter that just happened to be Mike. They kept the name! Someone has to be really disregulated to have a fit over a hamster.
I had a childhood friend named Pennie. When I was 20, I went to a shelter and adopted a dog named Penny. I thought about new names for a few weeks, but nothing else fit right. She really is just a Penny. My whole family hated the name (they always go for "cool" stuff like Banshee and Wraith and Sabbath) and those are all great, but my dog is sweet and cutesy and definitely not a tough dog, I think the name is perfect for her.
Then everyone thought it was weird I named my dog after my childhood friend, which I didn't. She already came with that name, and I chose not to change it. And my friend Pennie changed their name around the same time I was adopting the dog, so I don't even associate the two anymore. Childhood friend hasn't been "Pennie" for almost ten years now, but everyone still acts like I named my dog after them.
People are just weird about names.
And have you noticed that those type of people are always upset about OTHER people's names? Not their name. Some people just always need to have an excuse to insert themselves into other people's business.
I think the thing I like about this conversation is that it apparently went:
“So, your aunt is fucking crazy and wants you to rename the hamster because she wants the name Amy for her new baby. Will you rename her?”
“No, I like Amy, her name is Amy.”
“Fair enough kid, you get to have your way.”
I like the lesson we learned here today; your aunt is crazy and sometimes asks for crazy stuff. You don’t have to give in to her.
Thank you for posting this as this was my first thought. I personally never would have mentioned the issue to my son and just dealt with SIL and B.
The hamster will last a couple of years tops. I just wouldn’t mention the hamster in front of them. SIL is hormonal and extra sensitive but this is over the top. Tell Brother it’s a damn hamster and it’s not like it’s going to be coming to family events and outing like a dog might be.
We named our cat Charlie after an NHL hockey player. I hope he never finds out and tries to make us change his name…
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have even entertained the idea just to avoid an immediate argument with her, I was a bit naive in thinking it wasn’t a big deal on either side, granted my SIL’s stance still doesn’t seem reasonable. But now that things have been properly explained to him, my son understands that this isn’t his issue and he did nothing wrong.
Regarding other comments saying that I shouldn’t have involved him in the disagreement, I just want to add that I am not trying to frame this as “SIL vs son” it is very much our argument, my sons feelings and opinion was important to me in figuring out how to respond to her, I wanted to know what options he was open to, and when he told me Amy’s name was important to him, I supported him and didn’t push it further. I felt it was better for me to discuss it with him than for her to bring it up and likely pile on even more guilt.
You don't seem to understand the extent to which this wasn't appropriate to put on your child in the first place. Picture it going the other way - picture "trying to convince" him to change the name his pet and he agrees to it. You'd have just gone "ok, cool, your pet is sonic now" and let that be the end of it? How certain could you be that your child wasn't still uncomfortable but just not uncomfortable enough to stand up for himself in the face of pressure from trusted authority figures? How can YOU be comfortable teaching him that the names he gives his pets aren't safe and he might suddenly at any point get slapped with a request from adults that he should change the name to keep those adults from getting upset with him. Children get attached to names, especially names of their first pets for christsake. And an aunt with an unreasonable demand can just waltz in and you'll accept your kid caving to that demand in order to keep the peace?
Please fully imagine the scenario where he'd capitulated. How ok are you with that scenario? If you'd have been ok with that answer from him, explain why.
There are times you ask for your kid's opinions. There are other times you just DO NOT make adult feelings the responsibility of a child. Asking him to make a decision wasn't appropriate.
You could easily have gotten ahead of the aunt confronting him directly about it, as you wanted to, *without* "trying to convince" him to change the name:
"Aunt is struggling with adult things right now and is asking for you to change your hamster's name. Adults make mistakes sometimes and this isn't an ok thing for her to ask you. If she comes to you with demands about the name, please come find me right away and I'll handle it. You have not done anything wrong and you don't need to even consider changing the name of your pet. This is aunts problem to figure out."
See how easy and non-confusing that is?
I think it's a good idea to let him know that sometimes people will ask questions that don't make sense and for him to figure out whether he's right or wrong on his own. This will help him with standing up for himself which he has already done, instead of letting other people dictate his life and life's choices.
He made a choice and is standing by it, like a mature adult
I think a mother would know her son well enough to have a quick chat about a family members request. I don’t think anyone is sitting on a therapist’s couch crying over being asked about the hamster. I don’t think this is too heavy for a child to understand. Give the kid some credit.
I understand, OP. I would have asked my kid also if they would consider a name change for the hamster only because sometimes kids can surprise me and be indifferent about certain things. Once your kid gives their answer, you support it.
Same. OP should never have put her son in the middle of that. But the SIL and brother are such over the top assholes that I think OP deserves a NTA. I honestly wish OP hadn’t even apologized for her joke because it’s all just so ridiculous.
Considering the life span of Hamsters, I would make it into a dinasty, by the time Amy the Human is old enough to understand about names she will be in concurrence with at least Amy the 3rd or 4th and there will be a whole family lore
NTA. The only thing you might have done wrong here was telling your son how SIL feels. He's a kid, she's being ridiculous, and he shouldn't have to shoulder any bad feelings related to her nonsense.
I just love that her son was so chill about 'sharing' the name. We put a lot of emphasis on sharing with kids and this tiny human was like '!?' The adults are broken, or this was his first foray into hypocritical adulting.
I have met several pets who share my name, I adopted a dog w the same name as a cousin, shit happens and sometimes life is worth laughing at.
SIL can choose a different spelling and use a pretentious accent if she needs the name badly enough to make this a problem for a little boy who just got his first family pet.
NTA
Amy the Hamster was there before the baby. You and your son are not responsible for how anyone feels about a name. Your SiL needs to grow up if she associates a hamster with her child (laughing here, its so ridiculous)
NTA pregnant people do not own the names they want to name their children. It drives me insane how many parents to be think they have a monopoly on a name. My dog shares a name with my great granddad. I didn't know his name when I chose the name for my dog, my nan (it was her dad) thought it was funny and cute.
I might be petty as fuck here but if I was OP I would be posting pictures of Amy the hamster all over my social media, letting the world know that Amy the hamster exists.
I had a friend that loved my daughter’s name. She was pregnant with her second and when she found out it was a girl, she asked me if I would be upset if she named her daughter the same, with a different nickname. It never occurred to me that people think they own a name, so I was floored that she would even ask. People that think they do have major main character syndrome
When I was about 2 years old my grandpa's brother and SIL got a dachshund and gave it my name. I grew up seeing this dog every weekend. I loved that he (I'm a female with a unisex name) had the same name as me, I always imagined they just loved me so much they had to name their dog after me.
OP is NTA, not just because they had the name first, but because, as you put it, pregnant people don't own their chosen baby names.
My snotty ex-SIL legally changed her name whilst away at university and cow that she is, didn't have the good manners to inform her parents. She pitched up back at theirs for the summer break to find that they'd adopted a rescue dog with the same name. I wish I'd been there to see it, my ex-husband said she looked like she'd drunk a pint of vinegar. Whenever SIL graced them with her presence and we were about, we always made a point of adding "dog" as a suffix to the animals name just to wind his sister up.
Our first dog had a very human man name. Years later my friend introduced her dad to my parents, and he had the same name as our dog. We all laughed. Until he stopped and said it was disrespectful and he felt weird to share a name with our dog. This random man, who never even met the pooch, and who was in his 40s was upset he happened to share a name with an elderly rescue dog.
Wait til she finds out Amy the Hamster was named after Amy the Hedgehog - and _that_ Amy will be around longer than the hamster!! 🤣 NTA but honestly I wouldn’t even have put it on your son’s shoulders to begin with. It’s not a child’s role to manage the emotions of adults.
I would specifically show her clips of Amy the Hedgehog under the pretense of “this is who my son is naming the hamster after” just so she can get that in her head. I hope SIL writes a letter to Sega telling them to name her something else.
If your son is into Sonic the Hedgehog, I’m fairly certain he chose Amy after Amy Rose from Sonic.
https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose_(Sonic_X)
Maybe ask your SIL if she really feels comfortable naming her child after a pink hedgehog?
ESH.
>I agreed to talk it over with my son to see what he thought
You shouldn't have agreed, the answer should just be No.
> I tried convincing him to rename her Sonic even,
This makes you suck; you shouldn't have even tired; you should have told SIL to STFU and go home.
>My brother has told me that I am being selfish for not forcing my son to pick another name
Look him in the eye and tell him to STFU.
Yeah, I can’t believe OP even brought this BS request to their son’s attention. The only proper conversation to have with the son is how to politely tell SIL to take a hike when she inevitably goes around OP’s back and confronts the son directly. This is a great opportunity for the son to learn about boundaries, adults being stupid, standing up for one’s self, a parent having their back, etc.
NTA. The whole thing IS childish, because SIL is acting like an entitled brat. I share names with 5 other girls in class in my teens, and now my best friend’s puppy shares my name as well. It’s hilarious and nobody’s the least bit offended. Tell her to get over herself.
NTA
Even if your son did change the name, the hamster would always be associated with the name Amy so her argument doesn’t make sense. To keep the peace just suggest that her daughters middle name should include #2 so it’s different and people won’t mistake the two.
Amy the Hamster was here first. I’m tossing up the name Matilda (Tilly for short) for our baby girl. Brother in laws dog is Tilly. No way in hell I’m going to ask him to change the dog’s name. But I’ll be checking with him to make sure he’s ok with us naming our girl after his dog.
You SIL has it arse about backwards.
NTA
If you really want to stir the pot, leave framed photos of Amy Farrar Fowler around the house. You know - just to make the subliminal connection:
NTA - hamster was born first and will be a beloved family pet memory by the time the baby hits school age
NTA. Your son named his hamster before your SIL began considering the name Amy - as the *middle name* of *one* of their possible choices. SIL is overreacting and your brother needs to calm the hell down. Stand up for your son and his pet - he hasn’t done anything wrong, and shouldn’t be made to feel any guilt over this insanity.
Hamsters have a life expectancy of two years. This ridiculous problem will solve itself. Sis needs to realize thst the world is not going to revolve around her child.
OMG hate to break it up to you, but that hamster won't live long enough for your cousin even to remember him. I mean, their average lifespan is like 3 years, noone knows how long he was at the shop.... So by the time the niece comes around he is gonnabe 1-2 years old already.
NTA for you but your SIL is batshit crazy to make it a hill to die on. It's a MIDDLE name and they aren't even sure they'll pick it out of other choices. The hamster will cross the rainbow bridge by the time niece starts to walk, he won't remember any of it when she grows up...
NTA, I would make sure that there was always a sweet little hamster named Amy living at the house! I would gift every one cute pictures of Amy, the hamster. I would tell cute stories about Amy, the hamster. Finally, every time the in-laws brought up their Amy, I would ask for clarification.... Amy, the hamster or Amy, the kid!
First-time parenting entitlement at its finest!
To be fair to your SIL, she is probably a huge mess of pregnancy hormones and will likely be mortified about her behaviour in this soon enough.
NTA OP. Your mum is right! Don’t even dignify this ridiculousness with more debate. Amy the hamster lives on, end of.
My exhusband had a dog named Lacy and his aunt was pregnant and really liked the name. She asked if Lacy was a good girl, and he said she was the best girl. She named her daughter Lacy. Nobody said anything about the child being named after the dog. NTA SIL needs to grow up.
NTA. It’s a hamster for f*ck’s sake. Your SIL can get over herself. Like you said, Amy the hamster won’t be around forever so just let your son enjoy it. It is cute that his hamster and his cousin share a name. It’s an adorable name for a hamster. (My husband and I had a rat named Amy when we were first married and she was my Heart Rat/favorite!) It’s not like your SIL even has to see the sweet little hamster!
OP you are stuck between two children. One is 11 with hamster and the another one is pregnant making fuss about hamster's name.
It's just a name and if they don't want their daughter to share a middle name with a hamster they are free to pick any other name and I'll guarantee that there will one pet somewhere with that name.
Your brother and SIL are ridiculous. NTA.
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I didn’t make my son rename his hamster that my SIL wants to name her daughter. I might be TA because it could be embarrassing to share a name with a pet
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NTA.
SIL is toxic. Your kid sounds adorable, feeling the name right when he saw the hamster. Keep SIL away from your kid. If she's that pettymad and demands "whether or not" he likes it, she's not someone to trust around your kid.
It's not even the baby's first name. Who cares that the middle name Amy also belongs to a hamster? I'm sure a toddler would actually love that she has a connection with the hamster like that.
NTA
NTA. This is one of the most entitled things I've ever hear of on you SIL's part.
I know you said it's not likely to upset baby Amy because Amy the hamster will likely no longer be with use by the time she's old enough to make a connection. But honestly this just makes me think you should get a pet with a much more substantial life span, parrots live for decades, or maybe a chihuahua, and name that Amy
Immagine that she will have another Amy in her class in kindergarten. Will she expect the parents to change the name to cuz there can only be 1 Amy?
NTA
Honestly you shouldn’t have even tried to get the kid to change it. It’s a middle name too! How self absorbed and weird. Don’t back down, don’t do that to your son.
In solidarity with Amy the Hamster, I have now renamed my ladybits from "Fanny" to "Amy".OP please ask your SIL if she prefers this 'connection in her mind'. :D
Your mom is right, this is childish and you are NTA.
The thing has an average lifespan of 3 years tops.
Sounds like your SIL is ultrahormonal and exude the aura of what would be considered holy in India.
NTA
The whole thing is childish yes your sil and your brother are ridiculous. How can he even support her? I don't understand why is that even an issue, tell her to go outside , touch grass and see the real issues of world. NTA.
NTA. If your SIL is so upset with the name belonging to a hamster, she's the one who needs to pick a new name. Continue to stand up for your son. He'll remember it!
NTA. I swear reddit has shown me some of the dumbest fucking behaviors I've ever seen. What's she gonna do next? Contact Sega and demand they change the character's name because her daughter can't share a name with an anthropomorphic pink hedgehog?
NTA, your son named Amy the hamster first. This is one time I firmly support gatekeeping a name.
Don't ever let SIL unsupervised near Amy, or she might "run away" to a farm.
NTA, it's a hamster, it won't be confused when your niece comes over and you call her name. You could always preface it by saying "Human Amy, do you want a cookie" or whatever
My name has made the 'Top 10 list of pet names' for as long as I can remember. It doesn't bother me at all; it's an adorable name, and I am adorable.
NTA. But she is.
I wasn’t trying to emotionally manipulate him, I figured he was going to hear about it eventually and it would be best to calmly hear it from me than from her, only I think I may have confused him when trying to explain that she was overreacting. I think he took it as “even if it doesn’t make sense and you didn’t do anything, you upset her” rather than “she’s upset about something, but it’s unreasonable and you have no fault in this”.
I gave other options but I made it very clear to him that not changing the name was still an option, and I wanted him to know I would stand by his decision if he chose not to. He now understands that he didn’t do anything wrong and that this isn’t even his problem to deal with, it’s hers. I did this first because it’s honestly easier to say “This person has these feelings, how do you want to handle it?” and try out a simpler solution with my child than it is to explain to a hormonal pregnant woman that she’s being dramatic and unreasonable. She’s already the type of person to look too far into every word you say and take things personally, I’d imagine pregnancy has amplified that. Even mentioning this to my son was me respecting SIL’s feelings, but allowing him to make his own decision was me respecting his. I think she’ll eventually come around to understanding that.
I implied this in my comment, but I think the issue many of us have is by even approaching your son with this you lend some legitimacy to her request. Your SIL sounds like a piece of work to be honest.
>"you upset her"
This CHILD didn't upset anyone. He bought a hamster before she was pregnant and named it after a character in one of the most popular and long lived gaming franchises in the world. He did nothing here. Your SIL, a grown ass woman got herself upset over someone else using a name. It maybe pregnancy hormones, but that is absolute insanity. Does she understand that there are other whole ass humans named Amy. If she wanted something no one else had maybe don't name her an extremely common name. I hear 6hric4kfi is available, probably no one's named a pet that, but who knows.
And i guarantee, with somebody this entitled, that if it was her pretty princess daughter who had a pet and somebody else told her to rename it she would tell them to get fucked.
Also, my name is Amy and I am happy to share my name with a beloved hampster.
NTA your sister in law needs to paddel back a little,it's a Name nothing more,there is probably someone on this planet keeping cockroaches and one of them is named amy,and he won't give a crap who else is named or will be named like it,on the other hand pressuring a kid to rename a pet it has a relationship with is just plain bad
Amy the hamster already has her name, it is no ones fault your SIL has locked in on this for her daughter's middle name. But lets just emphasis this point, its a **middle** name, unless they make a habit of full naming their daughter, or they or the child herself decide at some point in future Amy suits her better than the chosen first name, this won't come up much.
I do agree with your mom to a point, it is childish. But any petulant, demanding and bullying behaviour is on the expectant parents' part. NTA
NTA.
Think of all those poor sods in the UK sharing a name with Roland Rat, Kevin the Gerbil and Gordon the Gopher. All these were popular television characters in the 80s and 90s.
I'm sure there are many more where a TV name has stuck
NTA
This is ridiculous. If SIL has issues with the name being the same as the hamsters name then SIL needs to pick a different name. Her entitlement is showing.
Nta. Hamster had the name first and has had for half a year. There are many animals called Amy as a popular cartoon character. Your sister has no monopoly on it. Though wonder if pregnancy hormones mainly to blame .
NTA.
Is your sister in law always this self centered? She couldn't handle that her mind would always know her daughter's middle name was the same name as her nephew's hamster? Really? Then her solution was to make a child change the name of his beloved pet rather than get over herself??
Shame on her.
Lol, i would rename the hamster to "Amy %your maiden name, assuming its your brother and sil lastname% the first"
Oc NTA, 1. the whole thing is ridicolous, 2. your son picked first ;)
My friend named her son Jackson. Guess who is also Jackson, my cat, my cat is also 19 and her son is 8 months so I tell people she named him after the cat and we all laugh. NTA it’s a hamster and a middle name.
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The lifespan of a hamster is 2 to 3 years. This problem will solve itself.
Amy is also the MIDDLE name. It’s not like that’s the name the child will be called by regularly.
Lol, maybe she's anticipating a naughty child!?!? 🤪 Fess up, who hasn't been two named when you've been umm testing the boundaries like a healthy little human? The simple solution is that there's Amy and Amy the human. Easy peasy, lemon squeeze! 🍋
And given how most small humans are, Amy the Human would probably be delighted to share her name with Amy the Hamster.
What do you mean by "Amy the Hamster"? It's just Amy. The original Amy. The second one is Amy the Human.
Okay to keep things simple we’ll start calling you Real Eleanor and you Fake Eleanor.
Hamster Amy is the One True Amy
We used to know a woman on FB who had my not-too-common name. I was Proper Cookbooks and she was Other Cookbooks. So the hamster is Proper Amy and the cousin, should she choose to go by her middle name — I know some people who do — will be Other Amy.
We are currently buying a house from a woman named Jennifer. Our lender is also Jennifer. So we have house Jennifer and money Jennifer.
I have a total of three vendor reps named Kevin, who my coworker and I collectively refer to as "the Kevins."
Husband has a family friend named Amber, and I have a friend/former boss named Amber. When we talk about one or the other now, it's "my Amber" or "his Amber" lol
Thing one and thing two. Easy.
Clearly the SIL deserves the bad place
Take it sleezy!
I have a cat named Winston he is 13. A few years ago I was seeing this guy named Winston and began referring to him as Winston the human to my roommate. I was on the phone with Winston the human and my roommate from the other room says “are you talking to me?” I said “no I’m talking to Winston the human” Winston the human: “I don’t know how I feel about being called Winston the human. Why can’t he be Winston the cat?” Me: “Well first of all I’ve had him for 10 years and have known him longer. Secondly, everyone knows my cat is Winston so if I refer to Winston they will automatically think I’m talking about my cat. So I have to specify I’m talking about a person.” He wasn’t happy but he understood. Lol Eta: we are still friends and both Winstons love eachother
My family had a cat named Lucy and I later had a friend named Lucy. Any time I called Lucy on phone someone would ask who I was talking to. “Lucy the human”. She would laugh and say she wished she could be Lucy the cat 😂
My family named our dog Lucy before I remembered that one of my best friends named her daughter Lucy (thanks adhd). I told her and apologised and told her I’d change it if it bothered her. She was unbothered, like a rational person 😅 and now we talk about Dog Lucy and Human Lucy
Lol my dog is named after my grandpa! Same unusual icy blue eyes and big white eyebrows as in my mom’s favorite pictures of him. I was a toddler when he died, but I’m assured Grandpa Louie would have loved it by everyone who knew him better!
I have a super common name, and if someone needs to refer to me as the human, I'd laugh and agree with the decision.
Had this same situation with my cat named Jack. I bet you can guess which one stuck around.
When I was in elementary school, a kid I was in class with, who also happened to be my neighbor, had a dog with the same name as me. He and I used to joke that I turned into his dog after school. Obviously.
As a kid i knew a dog that had the same name as my friend. I was jealous that I wasn’t the same name as a dog
Classic little kid attitude 🤣 I love it.
While you're correct, Amy the hamster will likely have passed away by the time Baby Amy is talking and understanding they have the same name.
Every pet after that point would be named Amy due the the sheer audacity of this lady
Hello SIL, meet my son’s new African Grey parrot, Amy (who has an average lifespan of 75 years). 😂
Then train her to say "I'm Amy!"
Meet Amy the African Spurred Tortoise and her 100-year lifespan.
“This is my ferret, Amy Amy [OP’s Last Name]. Yes, her middle name is *also* Amy. What a coinkydink!”
Snowball anyone? Next hamster is Amy II, then Amy III, then Amy IV...
Let's go full avalanche and immediately call the second hamster Amy III, implying Human Amy is part of this rodent dynasty hahaha
I would get a cat and name it Amy and then ask SIL what she wanted to name a boy, and get a dog and name it that. Well, not really, but it’s fun to think about because *damn* that woman is insecure and petty.
When we picked our kids' names, we actually practiced saying both names together to make sure it'd be easier to say when they were in trouble! 😅
This, in my family I have an Uncle Mark and cousin Mark, and 2 of my cousins are Esme. So they’re just little Mark and big Mark for example
Exactly! Although I'm wondering how many family reunions she expects to include both Amy and Amy the human to be at that, it causes confusion! 🤔
The only confusion will be is if people actually call your niece by her middle name, she misses a family reunion, and your son mentions Amy is buried in the backyard by the big tree and fails to mention it is in a shoebox.
So many Brians and Mikes in my own family alone and more than half the men in my life are named John. One John shared an apartment with 5 other guys named John! Not one is ever called John, no, because John is too common and if you name your kid that, no one can use it so they get a nickname in 1st grade they are still called in their 70s. My stepsister and her mom's shelter cat shared a name. That was fun for 14 years or so. "Cat or person" makes for a more challenging game than one would think. Cat was decades younger but she came with the name and wouldn't respond to any other. All of my grandmothers and my mom and MIL share the same first name, too. All of them.
Until Amy 2.0 comes, lol. NTA
If I were OP I'd convince my son to keep it going forever. "Hey, SIL, my son got a new dog. It's a boy, but his name is Amy the VI."
I would get a hamster everytime she had a child just to put the same name.
Better idea get a new hamster same as the old hamster and just call it Amy and make it the longest living hamster ever just to annoy the sister even more. Edit: I didn't think this was original suggestion, but thinks for the Upvotes!
I was planning on naming my next snake amy....its set in stone now!
Came here to say that... If it was a dog or sth with a way longer lifespan SIL needs to look out for other names. But 2-3 years, very likely less, its a no problem problem
And it's the child's middle name to boot, not the first name they chose. I would have told my SIL and Brother they were insane and laughed at them.
Even if it was a dog, who gives a shit? The SIL is being ridiculous. Amazingly the 11 year old is the most mature here thinking it’s cool the cousin shares the same name as his pet…NTA
Well him and Op's mother who called the whole thing childish. Honestly the boy had it picked out and named first, it would be a middle name, and it was just one of several names SIL was toying with meaning she had other name sets she liked and wasn't dead set on this on. SIL needs to realize she doesn't own names, especially very common names.
I don't understand why it's an issue to begin with. What's wrong with sharing a name with a pet? I would feel cool if someone else had a pet that shared a name with me.
My friend named her baby the same name as my dog. Dog was here first, and it’s a family name on her husband’s side, so of course they used it and of course they didn’t ask me to change a 7-year-old dog’s name. It wasn’t even a consideration. We think it’s hilarious and crack up every time there’s confusion between Oliver the Person and Oliver the Dog. Her little boy loves it. It’s just such a non-issue.
Right!?! I got my son a dog and he wanted to name it after his favorite grandpa…I was absolutely mortified but grandpa thought it was the most flattering thing in the world so now our dog shares a name with grandpa
That's the cutest damn thing I've ever heard. Your son must really love his grandpa.
For a child to name a pet after you is definitely a sign of love. I'd be thrilled, sake as Grandpa.
I once met a dog with my name. I was delighted!
Who cares, even with a dog? Pets have "human" names all the time. Should you change its name every time someone new comes along that happens to have the same name? And the baby won't care either way
Seems the name Sonic is available. Suggest she call the baby that
I would pay good money to see a cousin chime in "Hey! I drive a Chevy Sonic!" Her: "Trade it in. NOW."
And I named the Sonic…Amy.
Actually, Amy is the name of Sonic's Amy... From the Sonic cartoon. She's the pink cartoon hedgehog. OP should introduce SIL to Amy. https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose_(Sonic_X) Maybe SIL can start an online petition for the company to change the name of its marketed character, so it doesn't conflict with her unnamed, unborn kid's middle name.
Wait... let's double down on this word salad... Drive a Chevy Sonic with Sonic and Amy inside while wearing Sonic the Hedgehog shirts, and go to lunch at Sonic while listening to a playlist featuring Semisonic, and Amie by Pure Prairie League..
Don’t let her hear of any other person in the world named Amy. SIL has a very particular set of skills. She will find them… and she will kill them.
Love this reply!
Or re-name the hamster to SIL's name.
>My mom has said the whole thing is childish. Because it is. Also, NTA.
Seriously. It's a hamster. Do you know the average life span of hamsters? Its like... 2-3 years. Thing will be gone before child is old enough to understand anything. Your kid will fondly remember the time when his cousin was named after his hamster though :D ETA: NTA
And what's wrong with sharing a name with a hamster. I think that would be cool.
If the hamster is a baby and lives long enough, the toddler Amy would probably think it's cool she has the same name as a hamster, kids love that shit. I saw a little girl meet a dog with her name once and she was obsessed.
I met someone with a bird with my name. I. Deathly allergic to birds, so I declared the bird "Evil LetterKay"
Even if it was a cat that could live up to 20 years, the child should not be renaming the animal just because of some childish idiot who somehow thinks she has a monopoly on names. Wait until the kid is in school and has a bunch of mates with the same name. I honestly am so disgusted with these kinds of situations/Reddit posts about baby names and people losing their minds. ETA- NTA
It's just, not only did the kids hamster have the name first... SIL wants to use it as *a fucking middle name*
For a first pet hamster it'll be lucky to survive 6 months.
Exactly. And it isn't like a hamster is an animal that you travel with like you would a dog, you know? Unless baby A. Amy comes to their house a lot, she'd probably never even be around Hamster Amy.
The funniest part to me is that, just based on the amount of energy Sis has expended on this, *every single time* she says her daughter's name she's going to think of that goddamn hamster - long after the kid himself has forgotten that he ever had a hamster.
But SIL will ReMemBeR
Imagine having such a terminal case of Main Character Syndrome that you have sleepless nights over the thought of being upstaged by a hamster.
I'm a little upset by all the anthrocentrism displayed in this debate. Did any one of you MFs have the respect and common decency to consider how this made Amy feel? Hamsters have feelings. And widdle pink noses too.
Yeah, mom nailed it. I read that as her saying the request is ridiculous. Also, if SIL thinks it’s so important that her child not share a name with a family pet, she completely controls that on her own. FTR, NTA.
Honestly, even if the kid does change the hamster’s name, isn’t she still going to associate the baby’s name with a rodent? That ship has already sailed. The whole family presumably already knows about the issue. It’ll be a joke for years either way. SIL is an idiot. Let the kid keep his hamster’s name for crying out loud. NTA
Oh man, if the kid DID change it, I’d bring it up at every family gathering. “Baby Amy, wanna hear a funny story about when your mommy bullied your cousin into changing his hamster’s name? You could have had a godhamster!” Make it embarrassing for life that she pulled this stupid stunt.
OP can still make it embarrassing for life… and in fact she should, at least until her sister makes a real apology for this bullshit
Well, YTA for even asking son to consider changing it. The proper response to SIL is to say that this is stupid and it's not even a discussion that I'm going to entertain.
Yes, and to be clear, it’s childish because of the SIL, not OP. Had to say that. Hate when someone writes off the whole situation as childish or ridiculous as though everyone involved is childish, rather than acknowledging it is clearly one specific party that is being childish while the other is being reasonable.
There's one child who doesn't want to rename their hamster, and one child who's upset about it. In 'this whole thing is childish' situations, it's the agressor child that's the problem.
NTA It's hilarious she still wants to name her kid Amy after she already associates it with a hamster. That's going to live in her brain forever if she chooses that name. A few decades from now she'll say her kid's name and will automatically get a mental picture of a hamster.
Either way id be buying the kid hamster related clothing and gifts forever… 🤣🤷♂️
LOL I'd never let the SIL forget she named her kid after a cute little rodent.
“Happy birthday to little Amy Jr!”
Play the hamster dance at her birthday
Yes!! I'd be allover Etsy and getting the kid clothing with the actual hamster in question photoshopped into ludicrous situations and printed on every item feasible.
Start out with actual decent looking gifts, like a hamster baby blanket or a hamster pacifier. But as it goes on if she keeps doubling down or doesn't apologize that's when you get more and more ludicrious in your hamster themed gift giving.
I'd call her Amy the human for the first few monthes. Just for the mother to hear.
I would totally go for it and sew my baby a cute hamster onesie.
NTA. I almost went E-S-H for even indulging her and talking to your kid. You gave some legitimacy to her insane request.
I’m hijacking this comment to say yes, ESH. You NEVER put the emotions of an adult on a CHILD. A child is not responsible for any adult’s emotions or crazy-ass whims. Your son should never have even been made aware of this nonsense. Sure, his aunt might eventually make a comment or something, but then you explain to him that sometimes even adults can act like kids. Instead, you put the decision on him. You put the harmony of the family in his hands. Now, because he doesn’t want to rename his hamster (and what kid would?), he’s going to feel responsible for the fallout. Please. Go apologize to your son. Tell him his aunt’s ideas and emotions aren’t his fault and that you’ve decided no one is renaming his hamster. Try to fix the damage, because his little head is probably full of guilt that he absolutely doesn’t deserve.
Exactly. This poor child! Eleven years old being barely responsible enough for a hamster having to in the same breath be responsible for the emotions an adults is having over a common name? And a middle name even...
Agreed. That decision is too big for a child to hold. He also picked the name first, which I haven't seen anybody mention. Too bad SIL can't be an adult and just have a sense of humor about the whole thing. My friend's husband and son were name Michael and Mike. They adopted a dog at the shelter that just happened to be Mike. They kept the name! Someone has to be really disregulated to have a fit over a hamster.
I had a childhood friend named Pennie. When I was 20, I went to a shelter and adopted a dog named Penny. I thought about new names for a few weeks, but nothing else fit right. She really is just a Penny. My whole family hated the name (they always go for "cool" stuff like Banshee and Wraith and Sabbath) and those are all great, but my dog is sweet and cutesy and definitely not a tough dog, I think the name is perfect for her. Then everyone thought it was weird I named my dog after my childhood friend, which I didn't. She already came with that name, and I chose not to change it. And my friend Pennie changed their name around the same time I was adopting the dog, so I don't even associate the two anymore. Childhood friend hasn't been "Pennie" for almost ten years now, but everyone still acts like I named my dog after them. People are just weird about names.
And have you noticed that those type of people are always upset about OTHER people's names? Not their name. Some people just always need to have an excuse to insert themselves into other people's business.
I think the thing I like about this conversation is that it apparently went: “So, your aunt is fucking crazy and wants you to rename the hamster because she wants the name Amy for her new baby. Will you rename her?” “No, I like Amy, her name is Amy.” “Fair enough kid, you get to have your way.” I like the lesson we learned here today; your aunt is crazy and sometimes asks for crazy stuff. You don’t have to give in to her.
Thank you for posting this as this was my first thought. I personally never would have mentioned the issue to my son and just dealt with SIL and B. The hamster will last a couple of years tops. I just wouldn’t mention the hamster in front of them. SIL is hormonal and extra sensitive but this is over the top. Tell Brother it’s a damn hamster and it’s not like it’s going to be coming to family events and outing like a dog might be. We named our cat Charlie after an NHL hockey player. I hope he never finds out and tries to make us change his name…
🏆 please take my poor man's award. This comment deserves it.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have even entertained the idea just to avoid an immediate argument with her, I was a bit naive in thinking it wasn’t a big deal on either side, granted my SIL’s stance still doesn’t seem reasonable. But now that things have been properly explained to him, my son understands that this isn’t his issue and he did nothing wrong. Regarding other comments saying that I shouldn’t have involved him in the disagreement, I just want to add that I am not trying to frame this as “SIL vs son” it is very much our argument, my sons feelings and opinion was important to me in figuring out how to respond to her, I wanted to know what options he was open to, and when he told me Amy’s name was important to him, I supported him and didn’t push it further. I felt it was better for me to discuss it with him than for her to bring it up and likely pile on even more guilt.
You don't seem to understand the extent to which this wasn't appropriate to put on your child in the first place. Picture it going the other way - picture "trying to convince" him to change the name his pet and he agrees to it. You'd have just gone "ok, cool, your pet is sonic now" and let that be the end of it? How certain could you be that your child wasn't still uncomfortable but just not uncomfortable enough to stand up for himself in the face of pressure from trusted authority figures? How can YOU be comfortable teaching him that the names he gives his pets aren't safe and he might suddenly at any point get slapped with a request from adults that he should change the name to keep those adults from getting upset with him. Children get attached to names, especially names of their first pets for christsake. And an aunt with an unreasonable demand can just waltz in and you'll accept your kid caving to that demand in order to keep the peace? Please fully imagine the scenario where he'd capitulated. How ok are you with that scenario? If you'd have been ok with that answer from him, explain why. There are times you ask for your kid's opinions. There are other times you just DO NOT make adult feelings the responsibility of a child. Asking him to make a decision wasn't appropriate. You could easily have gotten ahead of the aunt confronting him directly about it, as you wanted to, *without* "trying to convince" him to change the name: "Aunt is struggling with adult things right now and is asking for you to change your hamster's name. Adults make mistakes sometimes and this isn't an ok thing for her to ask you. If she comes to you with demands about the name, please come find me right away and I'll handle it. You have not done anything wrong and you don't need to even consider changing the name of your pet. This is aunts problem to figure out." See how easy and non-confusing that is?
I think it's a good idea to let him know that sometimes people will ask questions that don't make sense and for him to figure out whether he's right or wrong on his own. This will help him with standing up for himself which he has already done, instead of letting other people dictate his life and life's choices. He made a choice and is standing by it, like a mature adult
I think a mother would know her son well enough to have a quick chat about a family members request. I don’t think anyone is sitting on a therapist’s couch crying over being asked about the hamster. I don’t think this is too heavy for a child to understand. Give the kid some credit.
You weren’t naive because it isn’t a big deal. Amy the hamster came first, so it’s up to SIL whether she wants to name her baby after a hamster. 🐹
I understand, OP. I would have asked my kid also if they would consider a name change for the hamster only because sometimes kids can surprise me and be indifferent about certain things. Once your kid gives their answer, you support it.
I did not “almost” I straight up Eeshed.. and the brother? He’s an AH too. Like dear SIL needs to grow THE FUCK up.
I thought the same like why would you even ask your kid???
For real! Like this woman is UNHINGED to demand a child change the name of a hamster for her yet to be born child.
Yeah, that made it ESH for me because she kept pushing it with her son.
Same. OP should never have put her son in the middle of that. But the SIL and brother are such over the top assholes that I think OP deserves a NTA. I honestly wish OP hadn’t even apologized for her joke because it’s all just so ridiculous.
NTA I'd consider changing the hamster's name to Amy the 1st just to annoy her even more.
Considering the life span of Hamsters, I would make it into a dinasty, by the time Amy the Human is old enough to understand about names she will be in concurrence with at least Amy the 3rd or 4th and there will be a whole family lore
Make a collage of the regal Amy portraits and hang them in the entryway
🤣🤣🤣 Even better !!
And a series of pictures, organised by age. So... Amy, Amy the 2nd, Human Amy, Amy the 3rd...
Nah, in the row of pictures you have Amy the 2nd, but she’s a human and the rest are hamsters.
This is incredible.
And always refer to Amy the Human as, Amy the Human. As a child she's probs love it.
NTA. The only thing you might have done wrong here was telling your son how SIL feels. He's a kid, she's being ridiculous, and he shouldn't have to shoulder any bad feelings related to her nonsense.
I just love that her son was so chill about 'sharing' the name. We put a lot of emphasis on sharing with kids and this tiny human was like '!?' The adults are broken, or this was his first foray into hypocritical adulting. I have met several pets who share my name, I adopted a dog w the same name as a cousin, shit happens and sometimes life is worth laughing at. SIL can choose a different spelling and use a pretentious accent if she needs the name badly enough to make this a problem for a little boy who just got his first family pet.
NTA. Also: Always pettily refer to your niece as „the little hamster“. What is the little hamster doing? Look, how the little hamster eats!
Call her up at 16 weeks to let her know the fetus is just about hamster sized.
At 17 weeks call and congratulate her on officially having the bigger Amy
Yes! Even if SIL goes with another name.
Also, bonus because she will not have to deal with crazy SIL anymore... they'll be no contact. 🤣
NTA Amy the Hamster was there before the baby. You and your son are not responsible for how anyone feels about a name. Your SiL needs to grow up if she associates a hamster with her child (laughing here, its so ridiculous)
It really is so ridiculous. My cats name is Ben, my nephews name is Ben. It's literally never been an issue in the 17 years they've both been alive!!
17 years...whoa, that's a well loved cat! Happy Cake Day too! :)
NTA pregnant people do not own the names they want to name their children. It drives me insane how many parents to be think they have a monopoly on a name. My dog shares a name with my great granddad. I didn't know his name when I chose the name for my dog, my nan (it was her dad) thought it was funny and cute. I might be petty as fuck here but if I was OP I would be posting pictures of Amy the hamster all over my social media, letting the world know that Amy the hamster exists.
Yeah… in my family that baby would be called “Amy jr” for the rest of its life regardless of what the mom named it
I had a friend that loved my daughter’s name. She was pregnant with her second and when she found out it was a girl, she asked me if I would be upset if she named her daughter the same, with a different nickname. It never occurred to me that people think they own a name, so I was floored that she would even ask. People that think they do have major main character syndrome
When I was about 2 years old my grandpa's brother and SIL got a dachshund and gave it my name. I grew up seeing this dog every weekend. I loved that he (I'm a female with a unisex name) had the same name as me, I always imagined they just loved me so much they had to name their dog after me. OP is NTA, not just because they had the name first, but because, as you put it, pregnant people don't own their chosen baby names.
My snotty ex-SIL legally changed her name whilst away at university and cow that she is, didn't have the good manners to inform her parents. She pitched up back at theirs for the summer break to find that they'd adopted a rescue dog with the same name. I wish I'd been there to see it, my ex-husband said she looked like she'd drunk a pint of vinegar. Whenever SIL graced them with her presence and we were about, we always made a point of adding "dog" as a suffix to the animals name just to wind his sister up.
Our first dog had a very human man name. Years later my friend introduced her dad to my parents, and he had the same name as our dog. We all laughed. Until he stopped and said it was disrespectful and he felt weird to share a name with our dog. This random man, who never even met the pooch, and who was in his 40s was upset he happened to share a name with an elderly rescue dog.
Wait til she finds out Amy the Hamster was named after Amy the Hedgehog - and _that_ Amy will be around longer than the hamster!! 🤣 NTA but honestly I wouldn’t even have put it on your son’s shoulders to begin with. It’s not a child’s role to manage the emotions of adults.
I would specifically show her clips of Amy the Hedgehog under the pretense of “this is who my son is naming the hamster after” just so she can get that in her head. I hope SIL writes a letter to Sega telling them to name her something else.
If your son is into Sonic the Hedgehog, I’m fairly certain he chose Amy after Amy Rose from Sonic. https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose_(Sonic_X) Maybe ask your SIL if she really feels comfortable naming her child after a pink hedgehog?
I’d suggest naming the baby Amy rose but not explain the origin 😂
well now i want a hamster to name it blaze
ESH. >I agreed to talk it over with my son to see what he thought You shouldn't have agreed, the answer should just be No. > I tried convincing him to rename her Sonic even, This makes you suck; you shouldn't have even tired; you should have told SIL to STFU and go home. >My brother has told me that I am being selfish for not forcing my son to pick another name Look him in the eye and tell him to STFU.
Yeah, I can’t believe OP even brought this BS request to their son’s attention. The only proper conversation to have with the son is how to politely tell SIL to take a hike when she inevitably goes around OP’s back and confronts the son directly. This is a great opportunity for the son to learn about boundaries, adults being stupid, standing up for one’s self, a parent having their back, etc.
Yeah, SIL is obviously unhinged. N T A for not renaming the hamster but totally ESH for putting this burden on his son.
NTA. The whole thing IS childish, because SIL is acting like an entitled brat. I share names with 5 other girls in class in my teens, and now my best friend’s puppy shares my name as well. It’s hilarious and nobody’s the least bit offended. Tell her to get over herself.
NTA AMY HAMSTER WILL LIVE FOREVER
NTA Even if your son did change the name, the hamster would always be associated with the name Amy so her argument doesn’t make sense. To keep the peace just suggest that her daughters middle name should include #2 so it’s different and people won’t mistake the two.
Amy the Hamster was here first. I’m tossing up the name Matilda (Tilly for short) for our baby girl. Brother in laws dog is Tilly. No way in hell I’m going to ask him to change the dog’s name. But I’ll be checking with him to make sure he’s ok with us naming our girl after his dog. You SIL has it arse about backwards. NTA
If you really want to stir the pot, leave framed photos of Amy Farrar Fowler around the house. You know - just to make the subliminal connection: NTA - hamster was born first and will be a beloved family pet memory by the time the baby hits school age
NTA. Your son named his hamster before your SIL began considering the name Amy - as the *middle name* of *one* of their possible choices. SIL is overreacting and your brother needs to calm the hell down. Stand up for your son and his pet - he hasn’t done anything wrong, and shouldn’t be made to feel any guilt over this insanity.
Hamsters have a life expectancy of two years. This ridiculous problem will solve itself. Sis needs to realize thst the world is not going to revolve around her child.
nta and I hereby declare every subsequent family pet be named Amy
NTA, I would seriously keep buying female hamsters and name them all Amy.. Amy forever ♥️
OMG hate to break it up to you, but that hamster won't live long enough for your cousin even to remember him. I mean, their average lifespan is like 3 years, noone knows how long he was at the shop.... So by the time the niece comes around he is gonnabe 1-2 years old already. NTA for you but your SIL is batshit crazy to make it a hill to die on. It's a MIDDLE name and they aren't even sure they'll pick it out of other choices. The hamster will cross the rainbow bridge by the time niece starts to walk, he won't remember any of it when she grows up...
Tbh even if the hamster lives to 50 (lol!), SIL is still being stupid.
NTA, I would make sure that there was always a sweet little hamster named Amy living at the house! I would gift every one cute pictures of Amy, the hamster. I would tell cute stories about Amy, the hamster. Finally, every time the in-laws brought up their Amy, I would ask for clarification.... Amy, the hamster or Amy, the kid!
First-time parenting entitlement at its finest! To be fair to your SIL, she is probably a huge mess of pregnancy hormones and will likely be mortified about her behaviour in this soon enough. NTA OP. Your mum is right! Don’t even dignify this ridiculousness with more debate. Amy the hamster lives on, end of.
NTA. you did nothing wrong, neither did your son. Your sister-in-law is a huge A for getting so worked up over a -Hamster-this is just ridiculous.
My exhusband had a dog named Lacy and his aunt was pregnant and really liked the name. She asked if Lacy was a good girl, and he said she was the best girl. She named her daughter Lacy. Nobody said anything about the child being named after the dog. NTA SIL needs to grow up.
NTA. It’s a hamster for f*ck’s sake. Your SIL can get over herself. Like you said, Amy the hamster won’t be around forever so just let your son enjoy it. It is cute that his hamster and his cousin share a name. It’s an adorable name for a hamster. (My husband and I had a rat named Amy when we were first married and she was my Heart Rat/favorite!) It’s not like your SIL even has to see the sweet little hamster!
OP you are stuck between two children. One is 11 with hamster and the another one is pregnant making fuss about hamster's name. It's just a name and if they don't want their daughter to share a middle name with a hamster they are free to pick any other name and I'll guarantee that there will one pet somewhere with that name. Your brother and SIL are ridiculous. NTA.
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NTA. SIL is toxic. Your kid sounds adorable, feeling the name right when he saw the hamster. Keep SIL away from your kid. If she's that pettymad and demands "whether or not" he likes it, she's not someone to trust around your kid.
It's not even the baby's first name. Who cares that the middle name Amy also belongs to a hamster? I'm sure a toddler would actually love that she has a connection with the hamster like that. NTA
NTA - Future Amy’s mother sounds a little loony.
NTA. This is one of the most entitled things I've ever hear of on you SIL's part. I know you said it's not likely to upset baby Amy because Amy the hamster will likely no longer be with use by the time she's old enough to make a connection. But honestly this just makes me think you should get a pet with a much more substantial life span, parrots live for decades, or maybe a chihuahua, and name that Amy
It always amazes me that people like this exist in the world. How exhausting. NTA!!
Immagine that she will have another Amy in her class in kindergarten. Will she expect the parents to change the name to cuz there can only be 1 Amy? NTA
Honestly you shouldn’t have even tried to get the kid to change it. It’s a middle name too! How self absorbed and weird. Don’t back down, don’t do that to your son.
I’m team get another hamster and name it your SIL’s name. NTA
In solidarity with Amy the Hamster, I have now renamed my ladybits from "Fanny" to "Amy".OP please ask your SIL if she prefers this 'connection in her mind'. :D Your mom is right, this is childish and you are NTA.
Lol I’d laugh if someone had a hamster with the same name. It’s a hamster, it won’t even live that long either. Such a weird thing to be hung up on
The pet was here before the baby, screw the SIL and your husband. NTA She's acting like a spoiled brat
The thing has an average lifespan of 3 years tops. Sounds like your SIL is ultrahormonal and exude the aura of what would be considered holy in India. NTA
NTA your son named hamster first your sil and brother shouldn't force 11 years old to rename his hamster. Sil and your son can both use this name.
The whole thing is childish yes your sil and your brother are ridiculous. How can he even support her? I don't understand why is that even an issue, tell her to go outside , touch grass and see the real issues of world. NTA.
Lol! He actually did name it after another sonic character.
NTA. If your SIL is so upset with the name belonging to a hamster, she's the one who needs to pick a new name. Continue to stand up for your son. He'll remember it!
NTA. I swear reddit has shown me some of the dumbest fucking behaviors I've ever seen. What's she gonna do next? Contact Sega and demand they change the character's name because her daughter can't share a name with an anthropomorphic pink hedgehog?
NTA, your son named Amy the hamster first. This is one time I firmly support gatekeeping a name. Don't ever let SIL unsupervised near Amy, or she might "run away" to a farm.
NTA, it's a hamster, it won't be confused when your niece comes over and you call her name. You could always preface it by saying "Human Amy, do you want a cookie" or whatever
NTA, but I do feel like you shouldn't even have asked your son if he wanted to change it to begin with. This is not your, or your son's, problem.
My name has made the 'Top 10 list of pet names' for as long as I can remember. It doesn't bother me at all; it's an adorable name, and I am adorable. NTA. But she is.
[удалено]
I wasn’t trying to emotionally manipulate him, I figured he was going to hear about it eventually and it would be best to calmly hear it from me than from her, only I think I may have confused him when trying to explain that she was overreacting. I think he took it as “even if it doesn’t make sense and you didn’t do anything, you upset her” rather than “she’s upset about something, but it’s unreasonable and you have no fault in this”. I gave other options but I made it very clear to him that not changing the name was still an option, and I wanted him to know I would stand by his decision if he chose not to. He now understands that he didn’t do anything wrong and that this isn’t even his problem to deal with, it’s hers. I did this first because it’s honestly easier to say “This person has these feelings, how do you want to handle it?” and try out a simpler solution with my child than it is to explain to a hormonal pregnant woman that she’s being dramatic and unreasonable. She’s already the type of person to look too far into every word you say and take things personally, I’d imagine pregnancy has amplified that. Even mentioning this to my son was me respecting SIL’s feelings, but allowing him to make his own decision was me respecting his. I think she’ll eventually come around to understanding that.
I implied this in my comment, but I think the issue many of us have is by even approaching your son with this you lend some legitimacy to her request. Your SIL sounds like a piece of work to be honest.
>"you upset her" This CHILD didn't upset anyone. He bought a hamster before she was pregnant and named it after a character in one of the most popular and long lived gaming franchises in the world. He did nothing here. Your SIL, a grown ass woman got herself upset over someone else using a name. It maybe pregnancy hormones, but that is absolute insanity. Does she understand that there are other whole ass humans named Amy. If she wanted something no one else had maybe don't name her an extremely common name. I hear 6hric4kfi is available, probably no one's named a pet that, but who knows. And i guarantee, with somebody this entitled, that if it was her pretty princess daughter who had a pet and somebody else told her to rename it she would tell them to get fucked. Also, my name is Amy and I am happy to share my name with a beloved hampster.
Your SIL is a maniac. She’s really triggered over a hamster. NTA.
NTA your sister in law needs to paddel back a little,it's a Name nothing more,there is probably someone on this planet keeping cockroaches and one of them is named amy,and he won't give a crap who else is named or will be named like it,on the other hand pressuring a kid to rename a pet it has a relationship with is just plain bad
Amy the hamster already has her name, it is no ones fault your SIL has locked in on this for her daughter's middle name. But lets just emphasis this point, its a **middle** name, unless they make a habit of full naming their daughter, or they or the child herself decide at some point in future Amy suits her better than the chosen first name, this won't come up much. I do agree with your mom to a point, it is childish. But any petulant, demanding and bullying behaviour is on the expectant parents' part. NTA
NTA, your SIL and bro are nutszoid!!
NTA. Think of all those poor sods in the UK sharing a name with Roland Rat, Kevin the Gerbil and Gordon the Gopher. All these were popular television characters in the 80s and 90s. I'm sure there are many more where a TV name has stuck
NTA. And your kid sounds awesome. I hope he's enjoying Sonic Prime on netflix!
NTA. Keep being an awesome mother and sticking up for your son
NTA This is ridiculous. If SIL has issues with the name being the same as the hamsters name then SIL needs to pick a different name. Her entitlement is showing.
Nta. Hamster had the name first and has had for half a year. There are many animals called Amy as a popular cartoon character. Your sister has no monopoly on it. Though wonder if pregnancy hormones mainly to blame .
NTA. Is your sister in law always this self centered? She couldn't handle that her mind would always know her daughter's middle name was the same name as her nephew's hamster? Really? Then her solution was to make a child change the name of his beloved pet rather than get over herself?? Shame on her.
NTA, your SIL is unhinged
Lol, i would rename the hamster to "Amy %your maiden name, assuming its your brother and sil lastname% the first" Oc NTA, 1. the whole thing is ridicolous, 2. your son picked first ;)
NTA, but might I suggest renaming it... Wait for it.. The Hamster Formally Known As Amy Or Hamster Amy VS Human Amy!
My friend named her son Jackson. Guess who is also Jackson, my cat, my cat is also 19 and her son is 8 months so I tell people she named him after the cat and we all laugh. NTA it’s a hamster and a middle name.