If you have an easy to pronounce and easy to spell name, you may not be able to relate to the pain the rest of us feel when someone misspells or mispronounces your name. It seems disrespectful, yet it happens all the time. A name is part of someone’s identity, and not saying the name correctly feels like an insult.

Obviously, someone you met for the first time gets a free pass on the name spelling and pronunciation, especially if it’s an unusual name, but a family member should know better.

Reddit user notmyname2020_ is a 16-year-old teenage boy, and he shared that his grandmother on his mom’s side really dislikes his name.

“My names Emiliano and my grandma always complained how hard she tried to change my parents minds and it’s a shame I got stuck with it. I’m actually proud of it. My dad told me about the revolutionary I was named after and their history.”

Not only does grandma dislike the name Emiliano, but she refuses to call him by his actual name.

“But literally my entire life my grandma refuses to say it. She says it’s ‘too many syllables’ (i got a cousin named Alexandria and they say the whole name) and always came up with her own names. She says Leo or once tried to get everyone to call me ‘Elliot’ as a nickname for a while. Obvious my moms family was for it but my dad refused that cause it’s not my name.”

After 16 years of dealing with a grandmother who won’t accept his name, Emiliano decided to do something rather bold.

“So I decided if she not gonna wanna call me by my actual name in not gonna call her grandma or say her right name. Is stupid I know but it’s bothering me more that she don’t care and all my other cousins she says their names fine, no nicknames.

Her name is Susan so I decided to call her Sandy.”

When Emiliano called his grandmother “Sandy,” it had the desired effect, kind of. 

“I was scared to say it but that look on her face was worth it lmao. It wasn’t surprise Pikachu face but it was close. She said that is not how I address her and it’s “grandma”. I told her nah I’mma call her sandy from now until she says my actual name.”

The problem is that Emiliano’s mom thinks he should apologize and has grounded him until he does.

“She say what I did was outta line and I don’t disrespect my elders ever. She wants me to apologize and I’m grounded until I do.”

Emiliano asked the Reddit community if what he did was disrespectful and if his mom is right. The consensus seems to be that while what he did was disrespectful, but it was also well deserved and he shouldn’t apologize.

One Reddit user wrote, “She has had 16 years to learn your beautiful name and it’s not that she can’t. It’s a choice. Sometimes your self-respect will seem an affront to others. That’s their problem.”

Another Reddit user commented, “She has disrespected you your entire life, THAT is not acceptable. Tell your mother you will no longer be disrespected by your grandma, and you are disappointed she won’t stand up for you. Her mind can be changed, you and your father AND your mother just have to call her out every time. Your father will back you on this, and your mother should too. You do not need to respect people who treat you with disrespect, and their age is irrelevant. Do not apologise, this is about basic respect which your grandma is not showing you.”

Yet another comment reads, “Tell your mum you’ll happily apologise when your grandma agrees to start calling you by your actual name.”

Do you think Emiliano should apologize to his grandmother?