A mum has been left in anguish after her family branded her “cruel” for naming her son with the wrong name by accident.
But, she’s sticking by her decision so far.
Posting on Reddit for advice, the woman explained that she didn’t know she was pregnant until just before going into labour.
She didn’t tell the father at the time as he was dealing with a painful family situation – and she kept the info from her parents too.
Felling stressed by the situation the mum didn’t think about a baby name very much.
When she gave birth she was very appreciative the female doctor who got her through the ordeal and decided to name her son with a variant of her name.
(Image: Sunday Mirror)
The mum wrote: “Her name was Audrey, and I distinctly remembered that – although it’s less common – Audrey can be used as a boy’s name, and I actually thought it was very cute, so that’s what I named my son.
“When I broke the news about my pregnancy to my parents, they were actually very happy they got a beautiful little boy, but they told me that giving him a girl’s name is cruel.
“I told them it was a less known fact, but Audrey can be a boy’s name. We looked it up, and apparently I was thinking of Aubrey.
“I feel like an idiot.
“Now that my boyfriend and I are in a relationship and raising Audrey together, he tells me that he loves the name.”
(Image: Getty Images/Blend Images)
She continued: “He says it’s stupid that one letter can change the gender of the name and says it’s just a bunch of letters anyway and has no inherent gender.
“He says he can’t picture him as anything but Audrey.
“Reactions from friends are very mixed, but many are telling me we’re preemptively ruining Audrey’s life.”
The woman asked Reddit users for advice and most came out in support.
(Image: Getty Images)
Many said that they knew Audrey was use for both boys and girls.
One noted: “If you both like the name, keep it.
“You named him for a very sweet reason to honour someone.
“If others have an issue with it, that’s their problem, not yours.
A second added: “Audrey has been used as a boy’s name before, and it’s just not a big deal. Congrats on your lovely son.”
But a third was less taken with the moniker: “This kid is in for a world of pain. In the UK Audrey is an old woman’s name.
“He would get ripped to shreds and it’s very sad but just the truth.
“May as well have named him Ethel or Rita.”
And someone else added: “While I agree that the convention of gendered names is a silly one, it doesn’t make it not a thing.
“You are setting up your son for being bullied and teased.
“You made a mistake, don’t double down on it.”
