I told my friend it was her fault her 13yo was getting bullied - I’m not sorry

“She has already switched schools, but the problem isn't going away … and in all honesty, I don't see the bullying stopping anytime soon.”

Alexandra Feiam

3 min read

September 6, 2023 - 7:46AM

Family Life

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Years of friendship have joined Phoebe* and Gracie* together. They have seen it all together and have been through thick and thin.

But when Gracie’s daughter was born, tension arose.

That was 13 years ago, and the awkwardness hasn’t gone away. In fact, it has only kept them apart.

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Phoebe begged her friend to reconsider her "awful" name choice. Source: iStock

“We named her Syphilis because it’s unique and pretty”

Taking to Reddit, Phoebe, who lives in the US, explained what caused the rift.

While Gracie and her husband were about to have their daughter, they shared a baby name with Phoebe - Syphilis.

Yes. Syphilis.

“When they announced her name 13 years ago, I was shocked and begged the both of them, especially Gracie, to reconsider,” Phoebe said.

“They refused, and it is a huge reason why Gracie and I aren't as close as we used to be.”

According to Phoebe, Gracie “liked the name because it was ‘unique’ and ‘pretty.’”

Fast forward 13 years, and life for Gracie’s daughter is getting tougher. This wasn’t unexpected for Phoebe, who repeatedly warned her friend of this possible outcome.

“Unfortunately, Gracie’s daughter has been getting bullied for the past few years, and it has been getting worse,” said Phoebe.

“She has already switched schools, but the problem isn't going away. The school admin is aware of the bullying but haven't done much to stop it.”

Phoebe was devastated at the thought of the 13-year-old being bullied, but she didn’t see the teasing stopping any time soon. Not until Gracie releases the mistake she made with her daughter’s name.

One day Gracie “came over and essentially cried on my couch about the way her daughter was being treated,” Phoebe explained.

“I lent an ear, and comforted her, before suggesting to Gracie that maybe, it may be a good idea if her daughter had a name change.”

That was a mistake, Phoebe quickly learned. “Gracie got mad at me and said that had no right to tell her what to do with her child and that the name she gave her daughter is the name she would have,” she said.

At this moment, Phoebe “lost it” with her friend.

“I told Gracie that it is her fault that her daughter is getting bullied and that I didn't know what she expected to happen after she named her child after an STD,” she confessed before telling the woman to leave her house.

“Naming your child Syphilis is child abuse”

While the majority of Redditors agreed Phoebe may have been a bit rude to her friend, Gracie was in the wrong for her name choice.

“People need to hear the truth sometimes,” someone wrote. “Boggles my mind that she saw no problem with naming her actual real human child after an STD.”

Some couldn’t fathom why a hospital allowed the name to happen in the first place. “Naming your child Syphilis is child abuse,” a person argued.

“My best friend is a pediatrician,” another answered. “It happens far more often than you can even imagine.” Other nurses agreed, citing the other unusual names they’d heard, including Latrine, Felony, Misdemeanour and Trifecta.

“I worked in a children's hospital for 15 years. Let me tell you, I have seen some awful names,” someone said.

“I have an acquaintance named ‘Malaria’,” said another. “My cousin's name is Camay, and her brother's name is Cameo. For some people, it is all about phonaesthetics, even if the word has a god-awful meaning.”

It was widely questioned why officials didn’t reject the name. “Of course, the US is a filthy mess and there aren’t enough states with rules against this sh**,” someone said.

*Names have been changed