This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, one family has found themselves in a unique predicament. A mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, has expressed her concerns over her daughter's name, which inadvertently sounds like a popular pasta dish.
The mother, who welcomed her first child nine weeks ago, had chosen the name Elizabeth with the middle name Jane. However, during the pregnancy, her partner's mother passed away from breast cancer, and the family decided to change the middle name to Anya as a tribute.
As a result, the daughter's full name is Elizabeth Anya, which, when pronounced together, sounds eerily similar to the popular Italian dish, lasagna. The mother had initially thought it wouldn't be a problem, but her family's constant teasing has made her worried about her daughter's future.
"But then my whole family chimed in and now everyone keeps calling my daughter 'Lasagna'," the mother said in an interview. "Now I'm scared that when she eventually starts school her classmates and others will latch onto this and make fun of her. I mean, the teasing has already started amongst my family."
The mother has asked her family to stop calling her daughter by the unfortunate name, but they refuse to listen. "They won't stop and every time I protest they remind me that I'm the one who named her so I've made my bed," she said. "I'm basically not speaking to them right now and they've been sending me daily texts basically telling me I'm being unreasonable and cruel to keep them from seeing the baby."
As the situation continues to unfold, the mother is seeking advice from online communities, with some suggesting that she simply switch the middle names around. However, the mother has expressed her dislike for the flow of the new name.
"It's OK that you didn't catch it. Your family should drop it once you said it bothered you," one Reddit user commented. Another user suggested that the mother could send her family an email, telling them that they can see the baby again when they address her by her given name.
