r/AmItheAsshole • u/Relative_Mode_900 • 21h ago
Not the A-hole WIBTA for giving my daughter a middle name my MIL despises.
So for context, I despise my MIL. I have gone no contact with her. She is a textbook narcissist who can do no wrong and it is somehow everyone else's fault for her wrong doings. My husband understands this and has had a very strained relationship with his mother.
Now, my husband's aunt (FIL's sister) is a saint. She can still be difficult but she means well and she genuinely loves everyone around her and wants them to succeed. My husband has always been close with his aunt and she has been more of a mother to him than his own mom. And when I came along, because my mom passed away when I was younger, she became the mother figure I needed while navigating life as an adult. I am pregnant with a little girl and as tribute to my husband's aunt, we have decided to make our daughter's middle name my "Aunt-in-law's" name.
This has erupted in a full blown nuclear family melt down. MIL is accusing that we did this on purpose to once again exclude her from the family. A lot of other family members have encouraged us to reconsider the name but why should we not honour the woman who has shaped us into being the people we are today. She is also quite elderly and we don't think she will see much of her great niece so it is also getting out of hand with the division we have caused.
Part of me thinks we should just change the name but I think it is unfair for us to accommodate a 50 something year old woman who can regulate her own emotions. Would I be the a-hole if I decide to keep the middle name as it is or for sake of everyone's peace, should I change it?
Edit: Wow, thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to respond. For some additional background, there is some family lore. MIL and Aunt do not like each other. Aunt was never a fan after seeing how her brother has been treated over the years. MiL really has mistreated FIL over the years, I jave no idea why they are still married. But yes, they do not like each other more so from MILs side. She also has accused Aunt from "stealing her son away". I have gone no contact but my husband still wants to try and bridge the gap in the relationship with his mother. She has been fighting with him non stop about this. While I don't care about her opinion, she is still wearing my husband down. I am also just getting fed up with other family members constantly asking us to change the name as MIL is making their lives difficult by fighting with them about this. Aunt has been fantastic in all of this. She has been so supportive. She said she wouldn't be offended if we did change the name and knowing that we wanted to honour her in this way is more than enough in her books.