Reddit Entitled Parents

"You can't name your baby that."

So back in the late nineties when Sears wasn't sad and dying, my mother was an assistant manager. Her boss was also pregnant and this generally wasn't an issue, until it was.

Now my parents spent a long time choosing baby names when I turned out to be a girl, they really wanted my name to be gender neutral to prevent future trouble finding jobs (yes, that is the actual reason), but my middle name remained the same as when they thought I was a boy: Ryan.

When they decided on my full name, my mom told her friends about it, and one of them ended up telling the manager.

As my mother was on lunch-break this lady storms in, already red and furious, "I heard you were naming your baby Ryan."

My mother is of course, stunned. She stays silent for a few moments before finally answering, "That's her middle name, yes?"

"Your baby is a girl!" The woman exclaims, as though this is some sort of great revelation.

My mother nods.

Getting somehow redder the woman snaps, "Ryan is a boys name."

"Actually it's gender neutral." At this point, my mother's surprise is wearing off into a bit of righteous confusion. "Is there a problem with the name?"

"You can't name your baby that." The woman is practically shouting at this point, "I'm naming my son that!"

My mother stares at her, trying to work out what kind of mental gymnastics it takes to decide your choice of baby name should give you the authority to veto someone else's baby name. "So?"

"Change your baby's middle name or I'm going to fire you." The woman says, having drawn a crowd with this whole scene to witness the utter insanity that was her outburst. People who could act as witnesses for my mother if she attempted such a thing.

"I don't think you can do that." My mother answers flatly. She couldn't even fire my mother on some other infraction because there was no other infraction; the staff was friendly with my mother and she had brought up sales in her area by a lot.

The woman stops for a moment, maybe realizing that my mother was right on that point and once again demands, "Change your baby's middle name! I chose Ryan fist!"

Ah yes, calling dibs, surely my mother would have to respect a grown woman calling dibs on a very common name.

"Ryan is my maiden name." My mom answers flatly.

At this, the woman stops, still furious, sputters for a moment, and finally stomps off.

My middle name is Ryan, my mother's boss named her son Dylan instead.

- u/BrimstoneGarden1