Teen makes pregnant sister-in-law cry after changing her ‘old-fashioned’ name

A teenager got into an argument with her pregnant sister-in-law that ended in tears after she decided to change her first name.

In a recent post on Reddit’s Am I the A——? On the forum, the 17-year-old explained that her 30-year-old brother is married to a 29-year-old woman named Hailey, who is currently pregnant with their baby. Last year, the teenager “officially” changed her name from Evelyn to Indie, a nickname form of her middle name. She said her parents approved of the decision.

“My parents relented when they realized how serious I was about being an indie and that I couldn’t befriend or grow into Evelyn,” the teenager wrote.

However, the name change didn’t go down well with her sister-in-law Hailey, who plans to give her baby an “older/vintage” name.

“Hailey asked me about five months ago why I didn’t like Evelyn enough to change the name. At the time, she mentioned how popular the name had become and that vintage had returned,” the teen continued. “I told her I don’t like vintage names and it sounded really old-fashioned to me. I told her that popularity didn’t influence my decision.”

“She wanted to know why I didn’t like older names and why I liked something like Indie instead,” she added. “I didn’t mind her asking that the first time.”

But that wasn’t the end of the discussion. The teen said Hailey repeatedly brought up the name change and each time she told her sister-in-law that her answer “wouldn’t change.”

“When she asked for the seventh time, she admitted that she was afraid her baby would hate an older name and wanted to find out what she could do to prevent what had happened to me from happening to her.” , the teenager wrote in her post. “She also said she wanted me to reconsider my name because she thinks Evelyn is beautiful and is sad that I chose something like Indie.”

The teenager became increasingly frustrated with the situation and even asked her brother to intervene and get Hailey to stop bringing up the name change issue – but as she detailed: “I can easily say that she has grown to like that to me more than asked 25 times – I” I’m not exaggerating.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play Now!

When Hailey broached the subject again, telling her young sister-in-law that she had “made a mistake” and that her 30-year-old self was “not so against” the name Evelyn, the teenager “kind of lost my temper,” she remembers.

“I snapped and told her to stop asking me the same question because my answer wouldn’t change and her comments wouldn’t change my mind because I don’t like old-fashioned names,” she wrote. “I told her, just like she hates Indie, I hate Evelyn and she needs to let it go now.”

The exchange ended with Hailey crying and the teen angering her other family members. “[Hailey] burst into tears and my brother got so mad at me. “My parents also asked me why I had to talk to her so harshly,” she concluded her post, prompting other Reddit users to consider whether it was wrong to make Hailey cry after broaching the subject of the name change didn’t drop.

The teen’s post sparked more than 2,500 comments, with many people siding with the 17-year-old in the disagreement. Quite a few Reddit users argued that Hailey “disrespected” her sister-in-law’s identity.

“If someone continues to question your identity and doesn’t accept you as you are, and if they ignore your explanation and request to move on, then that is a bully and discriminatory,” one person wrote.

“She refused to accept your first answer, harassed you for months, disrespected your identity and disrespected the way your parents raised you to be independent and true to yourself and your identity,” chimed in another person one.

Never miss a story again — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Another commenter added: “Your behavior is really strange. Why keep asking? And how does she feel about whether you choose Evelyn or Indie? This has nothing to do with her or her baby. I don’t understand why she’s so obsessed with your name.

Others praised the teenager for her remarkable patience and commiserated with her as she eventually reached her limits and lost her temper with her sister-in-law.

“You have been incredibly patient in putting up with it for so long, and your outburst is completely understandable. Of course you could have been less aggressive in your last answer, but she also could have stopped asking the same question more than 20 times before,” one person wrote.

“You have repeatedly shared your reasons for the name change and asked Hailey to stop questioning you. Her feelings and decisions regarding her name should be respected and her insistence on bringing it up has crossed a line,” another added.

Yet another person agreed: “You have every right to feel what you feel and to be called what you want to be called.”