Mom Calls Out ‘Sexist’ Grandmother After She Mixes Up Her Newborn Twins’ ‘Unisex’ Names

Aug 19, 2021 by apost team

Most parents would likely be excited to hear that they are set to have twins. Naturally, there is some added stress and uncertainly about the future, but also the doubling of joy and happiness in the family. Fraternal twins are conceived when a mother releases two eggs during the same cycle. Two different sperm fertilize these eggs. Identical twins are conceived from one egg and one sperm. So, identical twins share 100% of their DNA, but fraternal twins only share 50%.

Fraternal twins are essentially siblings, as they will have completely different genes from each other. Twins that boy and girl are always fraternal twins, and may or may not look similar, just like any regular siblings. Fraternal twin babies tend to share some similar features especially when they are babies, so it might be easy to get them confused. Some parents try to have something distinct on their child to identify them, such as the girl baby having a bow or a hairband, or dressing the babies in different colors. 

Sometimes though, it is still possible to mix up children once in a while, which is understandable. However, a new mother to twins did not think that people should be mixing up her children's names. Both the boy and the girl's names are unisex according to the mother's sister, who posted her dilemma onto Reddit. The unisex names meant that people kept mixing up the names now and then, but instead of having an understanding reaction, the mother berated people for their "sexist" attitude. 

In her Reddit post, the mother's sister, the original poster (OP) wrote, "My sister is really upset but honestly I don’t know what I did wrong. She had her twin boy and girl in November of 2020. She named them unisex names: Peyton is the boy and Micah is the girl. I never really thought much of it and didn’t think it was a big deal. My sister however gets extremely upset when people mix up the twins names." 

After getting angry at the nurse for mixing up the twins' names right after they were born, the OP wrote, "she’s gotten into countless dumb arguments about the mix ups, some I’ve been present for." 

When the OP's friend mixed up the name when she was over, "My sister audibly sighed loud and made a big show of taking her baby and saying that she hates that people are so sexist and mix up her kids names." 

This attitude from the new mother continued afterward as well, but the OP had had enough when the new mom snapped at her 90-year-old grandmother for mixing up the twins' names again. 

"I told her to not get upset our almost 90 year old grandmother mixed up her great grandchildren’s names. My sister said it’s dumb and that the names are unisex and if she clearly states whose who then people need to call them the names accordingly," the OP continued and revealed that this led to an argument with her sister. 

"I told her it’s an innocent mistake and not meant to be malicious," the OP clarified. 

apost.com

However, her sister was not convinced at all and took the opportunity to speak her mind. "She said it’s sexist and that she hates that people are constantly making that sexist mistake and brushing it off like it’s not harmful," the OP explained. 

"I told her to get used to it because it’s probably gonna happen for the rest of their lives and to stop complaining and that since they’re twins their names will always be put together and people will assume the more feminine name is the girls and the more masculine name is the boys," the OP finally told her sister, but her sister was inconsolable and remained angry at people's "sexist" attitudes.

Most people who commented on the post agreed that the sister was making too big a deal of people mixing up the babies' names.

As one commenter aptly explained, "Ok so… If you sister is so adamant that they are unisex, then why would she think it’s sexist if they call the wrong one the wrong name. She either obviously and on purpose named them “backward” to be woke or make a point, or they are unisex and in that case it’s acceptable and expected that some people will confuse them, as either name could apply to either child. They can’t be both unisex and wrong-sex applied at the same time."

Another commenter also added, "She knew what she was doing when she chose those exact names, and it almost seems like she's taking some pleasure in the fact that she gets to huff and puff and "correct" people with their horrid sexist attitudes!"

What do you think of the sister's attitude towards people mixing up her children's names? Do you agree that it is "sexist"? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to ask others what they think as well.