My Sister-In-Law Mocked My Pregnancy_ Demanded My Twin Names_ And Tried To... - Reddit Family Tales

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
My sister in law mocked my pregnancy, demanded my twin
names and tried to use them first, but I clapped
back in a way she never saw coming. I'm Leah
thirty two, and I've been married to Jack thirty four
for four years. We have a three year old son
and are currently expecting twins, a boy and a girl.
This situation includes Jack's sister in law, Miranda thirty six,

(00:22):
who is married to his brother Tony forty. They've been
married for seven years. Miranda and I are extreme opposites.
She is outspoken, the center of attention at family events,
and has strong opinions on everything. I prefer to be
quiet and observe people. When Jack first introduced me to
his family, I informed him that Miranda and I would
never be close friends. We've had a cordial, but distant

(00:44):
friendship ever since. The trouble began three years ago with
my first pregnancy. Miranda and Tony have tried to have
children for years without success. When someone mentioned my pregnancy
at family dinners, Miranda would either change the conversation or
make comments about how pregnancy was not that unique because
millions of women go through it every day. Then she'd
spend significant periods of time in the restroom. Miranda unexpectedly

(01:08):
offered to plan my baby shower around the middle of
my pregnancy. I gently declined, stating that my mother and
sister had already covered it. She persisted for weeks until
I had to be more honest about not wanting her involved.
The oddest behavior began after we revealed that we were
having a son. Miranda got preoccupied with learning what we
wanted to name him. Every family gathering, phone conversation, and

(01:30):
text message, she would inquire about the name. When I
told her we weren't going to share it till birth,
she got obviously angry and commented on how secretive we were.
Jack and I chose a traditional Irish name that was
uncommon in our area. Miranda couldn't stop gushing about how
unique and beautiful our son's name was. Once we revealed it.
She'd bring it up at every opportunity, telling everyone how

(01:51):
she'd never heard a more wonderful name before. This continued
for months. Fast forward to this year. Miranda finally became
pregnant about the same time that I conceived the twin.
She was approximately nine weeks ahead of me when we
announced we were having twins. She resumed the name questioning,
but this time she wanted both names because we were
having one of each. Her remarks grew increasingly offensive. She'd

(02:13):
make comments about how with twins, I'd probably gain twice
as much weight and never recover. When someone congratulated us
at a family cookout, she loudly proclaimed that we had
clearly gotten pregnant on purpose, Just to steal her thunder.
Everyone knew we had been trying for a second kid
for more than a year. I opted to ignore her
comments entirely. Miranda loves on drama and arguments, so I

(02:34):
felt the best way to irritate her was to offer
her no response at all. After weeks of her repeatedly
asking about the twin names, I became skeptical. I asked
Jack whether he believed Miranda wanted to know our names
so she could use them first, given she was due earlier.
He chuckled at first, but soon understood I was serious.
After some thought, he admitted that it was plausible. I

(02:55):
then decided to put my notion to the test. Jack's
father was celebrating his sixty first birthday at our place
the following weekend. We had been steadily putting together a
nursery for the twins in our spare bedroom, but it
wasn't ready yet. I devised a strategy to leave false
identities somewhere Miranda may discover them if she went digging.
I went online and created custom wall decals with two

(03:16):
names that I liked but were not near to our
final choices, Rose Arwin and Luke Max. I completed the
entire ordering process, but stopped just before completing payment. Instead,
I printed the final order confirmation sheet, which included both
names plainly. The night before the party, I folded the
paper and put it inside the nursery dresser's middle drawer,
giving the impression that it had been haphazardly shoved in there.

(03:39):
I made sure one corner stood out just enough to
be noticed if the drawer was opened. Jack thought my
scheme was absurd, but he agreed to a twenty three
dollars bet that Miranda would not snoop. We were busy
hosting the party at our place, so we didn't pay
attention to Miranda's movements throughout the evening. The next morning
I checked on the nursery. Everything looked the same. The
paper was still in the drawer, exactly where I'd left it.

(04:01):
Jack and I assumed the test had failed and forgot
about it. But then I realized something intriguing. Miranda ceased
inquiring about our baby names after the party. For someone
who had been bothering us every day for weeks, the
sudden silence seemed strange. Miranda gave birth to her baby
four weeks later. Jack and I visited the hospital to
greet our baby nephew. When I asked Miranda what the

(04:22):
baby's name was, she smiled and said Luke Max. She
stared directly at me when she said it, as if
she was expecting a great reaction. Instead of appearing offended,
I became overly enthusiastic. I raved about how beautiful the
name was, how perfect it sounded, and how fortunate they
were to choose such a lovely combination. I continued for
a full minute, as Miranda's attitude shifted from smug enjoyment

(04:45):
to uncertainty to apparent frustration. Jack tried not to laugh
alongside me. Later in the elevator, he gave me twenty
three dollars while shaking his head. We didn't see Miranda
and Tony for a few weeks, giving them time with
their new kid. Miranda, according to Jack's mone, appeared to
be struggling more than expected with new parenthood, probably due
to baby blues. When I informed my sister about the event,

(05:07):
she laughed at first, but then thought I was being
harsh by setting Miranda up like way. I can't decide
whether what I did was wrong. Miranda was making my
pregnancy difficult with her continuous demands and harsh comments. The
phony names weren't even names I wanted to use someday.
But perhaps I went too far with the trap. Should
I feel horrible about it? Update one, The issue with

(05:28):
Miranda has become more difficult than I had anticipated. First,
let me explain why Miranda and I never got along.
The problem began when Jack and I became engaged after
only nine months of dating. Miranda told family members that
I was hurrying Jack into marriage and had possibly ensnared
him in some way. When Jack's grandma mentioned how excited
she was to have another granddaughter, Miranda made a point

(05:50):
of adding she hoped Jack was certain of his decision.
Our wedding made everything worse. Jack and I had a
typical church service for one hundred and fifty one guests,
followed by a reception at a country club. We went
on an eleven day honeymoon in Ireland. Meanwhile, Miranda and
Tony had married at city hall in front of only
their immediate family, followed by dinner at a chain restaurant.

(06:10):
Tony proposed after Miranda gave him an ultimatum concerning marriage,
which the entire family was aware of. Miranda also battled
with the fact that Jack's family welcomed me right away.
His parents and I share similar hobbies and characteristics. His grandmother,
who everyone refers to as Nana, immediately began engaging me
in her weekly shopping excursions and Sunday dinners. Miranda and

(06:31):
Tony had been together for four years before their wedding,
but Nana had never warmed up to her in the
same manner. The contrast became even more stark after Jack
and I purchased our suburban home three years ago. Miranda
and Tony continue to rent a small flat in the
city because they cannot afford to buy property in their neighborhood.
Jack and I both have steady corporate jobs with nice benefits,
whereas Miranda and Tony work in retail with uncertain hours.

(06:54):
Miranda had too much to drink at Tony's birthday party
approximately a year ago, and got into a fight with
him over money. In front of everyone. She stated that
she should have married Jack rather than Tony because Jack
had his life together. The entire household went silent. I
was not even surprised. I assumed Miranda had affections for
Jack for years, based on how she behaved around him.

(07:14):
I answered by asking whose brother she was referring to,
which would be incorrect anyhow, given that Jack and Tony
have a younger brother, Neo, who was just twenty six
years old. Miranda lost her cool entirely and began yelling
at me for twisting her words. She said the next
day that she did not recall saying anything wrong. Now
for the latest update, Jack's mother came over yesterday to

(07:36):
discuss arrangements for my baby shower next month. I'm due
in late January, but twins usually arrive early, so we're
prepping for December. While she was here, I asked how
Miranda and Tony were adjusting to parenting. Jack's mother sat
down with a heavy sigh, saying it was complicated. Miranda
and Tony, she claims, were battling about baby names. Even

(07:56):
before the kid was born, Miranda had spent months compiling
lists of female names, but refused to consider male names.
When Tony inquired, Miranda asserted that the baby was certainly
a female. If it was a boy, she intended to
give him the name Tony Junior. This sparked a heated
disagreement because Tony's older son from a prior relationship is
not named after him. The youngster lives with his mother

(08:18):
in another state and visits her twice a year. Tony
believed that naming the new baby Junior would be unfair
to his first son. Miranda, according to Jack's mother, convinced
herself she was having a daughter because she wanted one
so much. Miranda refused to find out the gender while
pregnant for fear of being disappointed. She insisted on enjoying
her pregnancy, believing she was bearing a girl. Miranda's yearning

(08:40):
for a girl grew stronger as a result of her
family relationships. Jack's mother is the only daughter in a
family of three brothers, and she has three sons herself.
My son was her first grandchild, yet my daughter would
be her first granddaughter. In decades. Jack's mother burst into
tears of joy when we announced we were carrying a girl.
Jack's mother has always been nice to Miranda, but they

(09:01):
have never bonded. She is smitten with my little son
in the sweetest way. Every week they organize activities for
grandmothers and grandsons. Miranda observed this bond develop and grew
persuaded that having a daughter would finally cause Jack's mother
to love her in the same manner. When Miranda gave
birth to another grandson instead of the granddaughter she had
hoped for, something changed in her thoughts. The hospital scene

(09:23):
was considerably messier than I expected. Miranda and Tony were
still debating over names when Jack and I arrived. Miranda
had never mentioned Luke Max to Tony until that point.
Tony was stunned and indignant when she told us what
had happened. He had no idea where those names came
from and disliked them completely. Tony refused to sign the
birth certificate bearing such names. They left the hospital without

(09:45):
providing a name for the infant. According to state legislation,
parents have eleven days after the birth to register a name.
Miranda ultimately told Tony that he could do anything he
wanted since she didn't care anymore. Tony chose Bruce Rocky.
Bruce is named after his favorite basketball player, while Rocky
is named after a boxer. He preserved the Rocky from
Miranda's announced name, but otherwise modified everything, so the infant

(10:07):
was never given the name Luke Max. Miranda's attempt to
utilize my fictitious names lasted precisely as long as it
took Tony to put his foot down. Miranda, according to
Jack's mother, has become withdrawn since returning home from the hospital.
She meets the baby's basic requirements, but appears distant from
anything else. She broke down crying in front of Jack's
mother last week, stating she'll probably never have a daughter

(10:30):
due to her age and their previous fertility issues. Despite
everything Miranda has put me through, I now feel awful
for her. Having a healthy baby should be enough, but
I understand feeling disappointed after months of building up expectations.
The irony is that Miranda's breakdown may bring her closer
to Jack's mother, as they now share the experience of
only having sons while desperately wanting daughters. Miranda still has

(10:53):
no idea I set her up with the fictitious names,
and I haven't notified anyone in the family about my scheme.
Some argue that I should confess, but I don't see
the point in exacerbating her current situation. I'm not regretful
about what I did. Miranda made my pregnancy uncomfortable with
her incessant demands and rude comments, but I'm also not
cruel enough to kick someone who is already down. Update two,

(11:17):
Miranda discovered my name trap, and the consequences have been
far worse than I anticipated. I gave birth to twins
in early January, Rose and Frodo Jack. Yes, Rose was
one of my fictitious names, but it was also on
our list for females long before the trap pure coincidence,
which resulted in further trouble later. Both babies are healthy
and we're adjusting well to having three children under three

(11:38):
years old. Jack took two weeks off work to help,
and his mother has been coming over every day to
help with the elder children. The difficulty began when Jack's
mother was carrying Rose and noted how lovely her name was.
She stated she had seen it recently but couldn't remember where.
I made a general statement about it being a common name.
That evening, Jack's mother called me. She recalls seeing the

(12:01):
name Rose written on a piece of paper in our
nursery dresser drawer the night of Jack's father's birthday party.
She explained that she was searching for baby wipes at
the party when one of the children had an accident.
I informed her that there were supplies in the nursery dresser.
When she opened the drawer, she noticed the corner of
a paper peeking out and tugged it to push it
down properly. She had glanced at it and seen both names,

(12:22):
Rose Arwin and Luke Max. Jack's mother assumed those were
our chosen names and didn't think much of it at
the time, but when Miranda introduced Luke Max at the hospital,
Jack's mother recognized Miranda had read the same newspaper elsewhere.
Miranda had snooped in our nursery, discovered what she believed
to be our genuine names, and attempted to use one
of them first. Jack's mother was furious that Miranda had

(12:45):
gone through our personal belongings and that I felt the
need to build a trap. I decided to give her
the entire truth about my concerns and the phony name arrangement.
Jack's mother was not pleased with the deception, but she
understood why I had done it. She was angrier about
Miranda's probing than my trap. The trouble arose when Jack's
mother could not keep the story to herself. She told

(13:07):
Jack's father, who notified Tony during a phone call about
something else altogether. Tony confronted Miranda, who initially denied everything
but later admitted to looking through our dresser drawers. According
to Tony, Miranda broke down totally when she discovered we
had duped her. She stated that she had planned to
use any term she could find to hurt me and
make herself feel better about her own disappointments. She'd spent

(13:29):
months resenting my pregnancy and wishing to ruin something for
me in the same way that her reproductive issues had
ruined everything for her. Tony was upset not only because
of the spying, but also because Miranda admitted that she
tried to name their son specifically to hurt me. He
informed her that she needed to apologize to both Jack
and me Immediately. Miranda declined. She claimed I had humiliated

(13:50):
her by setting her up, and she refused to apologize
for anything. She said that I was manipulative and had
turned the entire family against her. This resulted in a
massive brawl between Miranda and Tony. He pointed out that
she had brought all of this upon herself by searching
through our personal items and attempting to take our baby
names out of spite. Miranda accused him of choosing my

(14:10):
side over his own wife's. The disagreement heated up when
Tony said that he had never liked the name Luke
Max and was relieved they had ended up with Bruce
Rocky instead. Miranda screamed that she despised the name Bruce
Rocky and wished she hadn't had a baby at all
if it wasn't going to be female. Tony moved out
that night and has been residing with Jack's folks for
the last three weeks. He has been caring for baby

(14:32):
Bruce throughout the day while Miranda works, and then returning
him to her at night. They barely talk to each other.
Jack's mother is stuck in the middle, trying to help
with both grandsons while Tony and Miranda work out their marriage.
She is disturbed about the situation and concerned that all
of the strain would impact baby Bruce. Miranda has been
telling everybody who will listen that I am a bad
person who ruined her marriage via my scheming. She is

(14:54):
convinced some of Tony's co workers and extended family members
that I am manipulative and harsh. Jack unhappy with his
brother and Miranda for involving our newborn babies in their turmoil.
He wants to cut all touch with them until they
resolve their issues. I'm inclined to agree, but Jack's mother
begs us not to exacerbate the situation by further dividing
the family. I wasn't expecting my small test to reveal

(15:16):
this level of dysfunction in Miranda and Tony's relationship. I
only wanted to confirm my thoughts about the name theft.
There is now a baby caught between two parents who
are unable to be in the same room. Part of
me feels bad for starting this series of events, but
a larger part of me believes Miranda's behavior was bound
to produce difficulties soon. I simply happened to be the

(15:36):
catalyst that brought everything to light. Update three, Miranda and
Tony separated and she has vanished from our lives entirely.
The divorce process progressed fast because they had only been
married for six years and did not own much jointly.
Tony maintained their apartment lease and furniture. Miranda moved back
in with her parents in another city around two hours away.

(15:57):
The custody arrangement for infant Bruce came the most serious concern.
Miranda first wanted full custody, stating Tony's work schedule was
too unpredictable for him to be a responsible parent. Tony
responded by bringing up Miranda's remark that she wished she
hadn't had the baby. Jack's mother ended up testifying about
Miranda's behavior during the name dispute, including her admission that

(16:18):
she tried to intentionally damage me. The judge was unimpressed
by someone who would use their baby's name as a
weapon against family members. Tony received primary custody, with Miranda
receiving supervised visits every other weekend. She has to drive
to our city for the visits, since the judge does
not want baby Bruce to travel back and forth all
the time. Jack's parents oversaw the visits in their home.

(16:39):
Miranda attended her planned visits and obeyed the regulations for
the first month, but she appeared distant from Bruce, frequently
passing him off to Jack's mother while she sat on
her phone or watched television. Miranda began missing visits, first one,
then two in a sequence, followed by months without touch.
She stopped returning Tony's calls to schedule make up appointments.
When Jack's mother attempted to contact Miranda, her phone went

(17:02):
directly to voicemail. We discovered on social media that Miranda
had been dating someone new, a man she had supposedly
met at work before returning to live with her parents.
Her Instagram photos showed them traveling together, going to restaurants,
and generally living like a childless couple in their twenties.
Tony was devastated. Despite everything that had transpired, he hoped

(17:22):
Miranda would stand up as Bruce's mother. He'd been suffering
with his own guilt about their marriage's dissolution, wondering if
he could have handled things differently. Jack's mother stepped in
to help Tony with child care while he worked. She
basically became Bruce's primary caretaker during the day, which worked
out perfectly because she already looked after my three children
on a daily basis. The cousins are growing up together,

(17:43):
which benefits everyone involved. Miranda made one farewell appearance at
a family gathering to celebrate Jack's grandmother's eighty fifth birthday
last month. She arrived unexpectedly with her new partner, presumably
expecting to be welcomed back as if nothing had occurred.
The mood became tight instantly. Miranda's boyfriend was uneasy when
he realized he'd entered into a family scenario. Miranda tried

(18:05):
to act normal, asking to hold Bruce and commenting on
how much he had grown. Tony returned Bruce after a
few minutes and informed Miranda that she wasn't supposed to
be there outside of scheduled visits. Miranda claimed she was
family and had every right to attend family gatherings. Jack's
father finally stood up, telling Miranda that she had lost
the right to appear up unannounced after months of ignoring

(18:26):
her son and bad mouthing family members, He asked her
and her partner to leave. Miranda burst into tears, claiming
that every one had turned against her for something she
had done nothing to deserve. She claimed that I had
ruined her life through manipulation and that no one cared
about her side of the story. I had remained quiet
throughout the confrontation, but that comment prompted me too. I

(18:47):
informed Miranda that digging through my personal belongings and speak
up attempting to steal my baby's name out of spite
was her decision, not mine. I told her that she
was responsible for every problem in her life and that
she should quit blaming others for her actions. Miranda called
me names I won't say here and said she wished
I'd be unhappy for the rest of my life. Her

(19:08):
partner was mortified and began pushing her toward the door.
They left as she continued to hurl allegations at various
family members. That was two months ago. Miranda hasn't contacted
anyone from her family since then. Tony found out through
mutual friends that she and her lover had moved out
of state together. She allegedly told people that her ex
husband's family prevented her from seeing her son, which is

(19:29):
absolutely false, but simpler than admitting she picked her current
relationship above her child. Tony's been doing well as a
single father. Bruce is a cheerful, healthy baby who lights
up whenever he sees his father or grandparents. Tony recently
began dating someone new, a woman who works for his
company and has two children from a previous marriage. She
appears to understand his circumstances and gets along well with Bruce.

(19:52):
As for me, I have no regrets about creating the
name trap. Miranda's reaction to being caught exposed her true personality.
Someone who would abandon their child because they couldn't take
being exposed for their petty, spiteful actions was never going
to be a decent mother. My twins are prospering, and
my elder son enjoys being a big brother. Jack and
I are tired, yet thrilled with our three children. Despite everything,

(20:14):
Jack's bond with Tony has grown stronger. They now communicate
regularly and support each other As father's family gatherings are
much more serene without Miranda's drama and nastiness. Jack's mother
may focus on being a grandma rather than dealing with
Miranda's emotional outbursts. Even Jack's father, who normally keeps out
of family disputes, has remarked on how much more calm

(20:35):
everyone appears. People sometimes ask me if I'm unhappy with
how things turned out. The reality is I did not
cause Miranda to abandon her child or end her marriage.
I simply created a situation that revealed her actual character.
She could have accepted being caught, gracefully, apologized for snooping,
and gone on with her life. Instead, she chose to

(20:56):
destroy every relationship she had rather than accept responsibility for
her actions. Bruce is better off without a mother who
despised his existence from the day he was born. Tony
is better off without his wife, who married him as
a consolation prize and spent years wishing she had picked
someone else. The entire family is better off without someone
who adds drama and negativity to every gathering. My name

(21:18):
Trapp worked better than I expected. I figured I'd catch
Miranda being inquisitive and embarrass her a little. Instead, I
unintentionally helped the baby escape a terrible mother and Tony
leave a poisonous marriage. Sometimes the best thing you can
do for someone is provide them with enough rope to
hang themselves.