A lot of kids in foster care aren’t lucky enough to end up with a family who really cares about them and tries to make them part of their family.
In today’s story, a teen in foster care is with a great foster family, but he doesn’t really like the extended family.
The problem is that they refuse to call him by his actual name.
Let’s see how the story plays out…
My (16m) name is Nico and it’s not short for anything.
On my birth certificate it says Nico middle name last name.
This is something a few people can’t understand and some people call me Nicholas.
Even teachers who see me on the class list as Nico and not Nicholas.
He’s in foster care.
I’m a foster kid. I’ve been in the system since I was 2.
My mom is the only bio family I know, but she’s not able to take care of me.
I see her twice a year through court ordered visits.
But nobody in her family and I don’t have anything to do with my paternal side.
His foster family is great.
I’ve been with my current foster family for three years, and I’m really happy with my foster parents and foster siblings.
My foster parents actually want to help the kids they foster, and their kids are cool with their parents fostering and don’t bully me or others for stealing their families.
So I hope I get to stay until I age out of the system.
The foster family’s extended family is the problem.
My only problem is some of their extended family are snobs and they don’t like calling me Nico.
So they call me Nicholas even after being corrected a million times.
My foster parents have explained that my name is actually Nico, not Nicholas.
But the reply is always “But Nico is short for Nicholas!”
A couple of the extended family have encouraged me to change my name because Nicholas sounds much more professional for an adult male, which I will be soon.
I was like no thanks.
His foster parents gave him a suggestion…
My foster parents told me I should ignore whenever someone calls me Nicholas now.
Unless they’re new and just assume.
But I can ignore their family members who do it.
So that’s what I did.
I’ve ignored them a handful of times now and it bothers them so much.
His foster family stood up for him.
Yesterday it happened twice because one kept trying to call “Nicholas” over and I just didn’t go.
The other asked “Nicholas” to pass the potatoes at dinner, and I kept eating and didn’t pass anything.
I was then called out for ignoring them, and my foster parents said nobody knew who they were talking to because there was no Nicholas at the table.
One of my foster sisters said she assumed it was her “Nicole” and they got confused and that’s why she passed it instead.
He isn’t sure if he should respond or not when someone calls him Nicholas.
I was told I should be more open to the wisdom others offer with name suggestions and stop being rude by ignoring people.
Even though my foster parents backed me up again.
It made me feel a way because this really is my best foster experience and I don’t want to piss off people in my foster family.
So AITA?
If his foster parents back him up, he has nothing to worry about.
The extended family is being inconsiderate.
Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story…
This reader likes the name Nico.
Nico isn’t just short for Nicholas.
Maybe Nico should be petty…
Here are some examples of ways he could be petty…
This reader understands how important Nico’s name is to him.
The extended family is being completely disrespectful.
They should call him by his name!
