A soon-to-be dad says his wife has branded him a “dictator” because he refused to name their son after her favourite movie character.
The man says his wife is currently pregnant with their first child and the pair didn’t discuss potential names until they found out they were expecting a little boy.
When they shared the news with their families, he says they all gave their own suggestions for a name but his wife said they didn’t need to consider any of them because she “already had a name in mind and felt strongly about it”.
Feeling upset that she had chosen a name without consulting him, he asked what it was and she said that she was set on calling their little boy ‘Frodo’ in honour of her favourite character from The Lord of the Rings.
He said: “She went on about how cool and unique the name is but I really didn’t think she was being serious. She said I should watch the movie and see how the name sounds and I’d love it.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I said no way. She asked ‘why not, the movie is popular and so is the name’. To me that’s the problem…it will always be attached to that character from Lord of the Rings.
“To me that was an instant no. My wife said I was being narrow-minded and called me a dictator only because I told her this name is my hill to die on.
“Our son deserves a reasonable name and not be attached to a character from a movie. I snapped and told her she could love the character all she wants but choosing a name for our son is a serious matter and we both should get a say.
“She had meltdown, gets mad and claims I’m treating her as an incubator.”
He says the argument has also caused tensions with their families as his wife’s sister told him the mum should get an “80 per cent say” in the name and that he needed to stop “stressing her out” during the pregnancy.
Alternatively, his own brother suggested he simply went behind her back and put the name he wants on the birth certificate instead, but the husband told him he would never do that.
He posted on Reddit to ask if he had been wrong to refuse to use the name Frodo and was fiercely defended by other people who argued he had done the right thing.
One said: “You two need to pick a name you BOTH agree on. And stay clear of fantasy genre names, for the love of all that’s holy. A kid named Frodo is going to be tormented for having hairy feet, being short, or just having an awful name before he even gets halfway through elementary school.”
A second wrote: “Your wife needs to think about your child, not her favourite character. Your kid will 100% get bullied and could lose job opportunities because of being named something ridiculous.”
And another added: “Frodo would be cruel even as a middle name. She does not get 80% say. You are a team and get 50/50.”
Whose side are you on? Let us know in the comments.
