She’s now making a name for herself – with him.
A woman married to her husband of more than 25 years refuses to give him her last name back as he prepares to remarry.
Take his story to redditThe 56-year-old woman said the two “mutually agreed to separate” after her husband came out as a gay man two years ago – after 26 years and two children.
Most recently, “she got engaged to an amazing guy” and the ex-wife “is supportive of their relationship,” wrote the Reddit user, who retained his ex-partner’s last name on legal records.
The woman continued, “But during my grandson’s birthday party, my ex suddenly asked if I would consider removing his surname.”
“His fiancé yelled back that it made him uncomfortable that I still used it.”
She managed to deflect the investigation by joking that she had to go through several branches of the government to properly change her name, but no one accepted it.
“My ex didn’t laugh. He insisted it was about starting a new chapter and he wanted me to ‘move on,'” the woman posted, noting that it wasn’t an issue for two years.
“I countered that our children still use the same name, and that would sound strange to me.”
He also wrote that according to his youngest son, “the fiance feels threatened by my name”, while the woman had made it clear that she had “Zero interest in rekindling anything,
The former also said that her fiancé sees her keeping the name as a “power play.”
“I told my ex-wife I would think about it later – maybe after they got married and settled down. But now, he is angry and saying that I am being petty and selfish.
While her children are divided on the issue, the woman’s friends are insisting that she should calm down and keep the name intact.
“I don’t understand why names on certain legal documents are such a big deal, but they make me feel like a villain.”
But online, the woman was fiercely defended because some people could, at least to some extent, relate to her situation.
“I had my ex-husband’s name for 22 years and changing it is horrible,” one commented. “I have a lot of things going on with that name, but like you said it’s your children’s name and you will always be their mother. It’s too bad if the fiancé has a problem.
Others emphasized that the name change has broader implications beyond their former relationship.
“It’s not just her name, it’s the children’s name too. This is your family name. This should honestly be a red flag about the fiance, that he wants to change it,” wrote another.
Meanwhile, a third suggested an easier alternative.
“If the man is so insecure about his claim that he should take the name of his fiancée… it is ridiculous to ask.”
