A pregnant mum is puzzled by the criticism her chosen baby name is receiving, particularly from her mother-in-law.
Picking a name for a newborn is a significant decision that can spark debates and disagreements among couples.
People’s tastes vary greatly, and what one person adores may be despised by another. Prospective parents must jointly decide on their child’s name and might seek input from family and friends.
This appears to be the situation for one couple who revealed their intention to choose a contentious and divisive name for their fifth child – ‘Abcde’. For some parents, the perceived “uniqueness” of a name is the most crucial factor.
Many want to ensure their child stands out or doesn’t share a name with anyone else in their peer group. Some less conventional names can be lovely and inventive, while others can cause headaches by completely disregarding all standard phonics rules.
Many oddly spelled or quirky names end up being ridiculed on social media. On Reddit, the appropriately titled ‘Tragedeigh’ forum serves as a platform for people to discuss some of the more unusual names encountered online or in real life.
One individual posted a screenshot from their local parenting Facebook group, where a mother, expecting her fifth child, revealed she was facing backlash over her choice of baby name.
In the screenshot, she wrote: “I’m expecting my fifth child soon and have decided on the name abcd, pronounced ‘Ab-see-dee’. I’ve received so much backlash, most prominently from my mother-in-law.”
The mother sought feedback online, preferring to stay anonymous to dodge criticism. The name in question has gained notoriety on the internet, becoming something of an urban myth, similar to ‘La-a’, which is reportedly pronounced ‘Ladasha’.
The post prompted a wave of reactions in the comments section. One person shared: “I knew an ABCDE and she ended up going by Abby. Abby is better.”
Another questioned: “You knew a person with this name? We’re really in the trenches out here” Yet another was in disbelief, writing: “Wait, you actually knew someone in real life with this name? Not a ‘friend of a friend’ knew this person, or ‘my work colleague’s roommate’s sister’s friend is called ABCDE’, you actually knew them? This makes me so sad, I genuinely believed it was just one of those internet urban legends or myths.”
Concerns were also raised about potential bullying, with one comment stating: “School bully mode: Easy. (All they gotta do is start singing the alphabet song any time this kid tries to speak.)” Someone else lamented: “I miss who I was before learning that so many people out there were named ABCDE”, and another person remarked: “I knew a male ABCDE and he is known as Dee. He is 29 so crazy naming is not a new phenomenon.”
One more quipped: “Why do people hate their children”, while another commenter said: “I didn’t know people actually did this. For decades I’ve thought it was just a Lewis Black joke”. A fellow Redditor chimed in: “I’ve heard this told as a joke about 25 years ago or so. So actually makes sense that by now it really is someone’s name. Along with the Abcde joke is, of course, La-A, pronounced “LaDashA”, my guess is that this name probably exists for real now too.”