Parents shocked when daughter Hermione loses it during Harry Potter Xmas.

We all know people who've turned their devotion to a fandom into their entire personality. For most of us, those people aren't our parents. But for one teen, year after year of themed holidays and relentless movie marathons finally reached an apex. She broke down and fled the home. The daughter, who we're going to assume is named Hermione (though it might be Luna Lovegood) took to Reddit's advice form to write:

AITA for yelling at my mom that I hate Harry Potter and to LET ME LIVE MY OWN LIFE?

As my title suggests, my mom is a huge Harry Potter nut. She and my dad actually met in a harry potter “IRC” (like Discord but for old people) in the early 00s, got married, had kids, and from day one decided to embarrass us for life by naming us after some Harry Potter and Star Wars characters.

It’s honestly been hell. I have a stupid name and since we were little my parents have forced stuff like Harry Potter, Star Wars, marvel movies, etc etc down our throats. Everything is about dragons and magic and blah blah blah. I’m so sick of it. Every birthday every holiday everything is just organized around “fandom.”

So just like every Christmas, the days leading up to Christmas we have to sit down every night and watch Harry Potter movies. It’s. So. Fucking. BORING!!!! I can usually get away with knitting or drawing on my Ipad during this, but this year my mom was like “let’s just have a technology and distraction free night every night”

I arranged to go over to my friend Missy’s house instead for like two nights. Missy’s family is NORMAL and likes things a NORMAL amount. My mom got really mad and started talking about how it’s a family tradition and how I’m basically rejecting her and went on her whole thing about how “you wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for harry potter.”

I finally had it and just yelled “NOBODY CARES THAT YOU WERE A BIG NAME IN THE HARRY POTTER FAN CLUB!!! I don’t like Harry Potter! I don’t like Star Wars! I HATE MARVEL MOVIES THEY’RE ALL SO BORING PLEASE JUST LET ME HAVE MY OWN INTERESTS!”

I couldn’t help it, I started crying because I was just so frustrated because everything always has to be about Harry Potter this, Star Wars that and now that we’re all older they started doing Game of Thrones. EVERYTHING is centered around some kind of movie or tv show or book series.

Just once I want my family to band around something that DOESN’T have to do with media or these nerdy things. We live in Utah where we have like 5 National Parks and even though I ask every year for my birthday I’VE NEVER EVEN BEEN TO ARCHES!!!!

Well, my sister called me saying that mom was angry and to just come home and to stop with the theatrics. I told her that I’m sick of having all this old “nerd” stuff crammed down my throat and just once I want to have a normal time watching normal Christmas movies and not having to pause for “lightsabre battles”.”

AITA?!??!

Not only did she receive all the appropriate sympathy, but the community also put forth a few valuable lessons to today's parent-to-be nerds.

From KyleSmitten:

NTA...and your post is a great warning for all those people still thinking about naming their kid 'Anakin' or 'Khaleesi'.

You're allowed to have your own interests, and your parents aren't making life easier by forcing things they like on you.

Edit: RIP my inbox. I had no idea Anakin was such a popular name.

From Thuseld:

I teach and suddenly this year there are a lot of Esmes coming up. I did the maths and yes, conceived between 11 and 12 years ago...peak Twilight.

AccioAmelia wrote:

As a HUGE Harry Potter fan myself, you are NTA. You have to be able to grow up and have your own interests. Do you think your parents would be open to family therapy?

B4pangea wrote:

NTA.

The sentence “Missy’s family likes things a NORMAL amount” really jumped out at me.

It’s a shame that in their obsession and absorption in their fandom, they’ve really killed some cool books and movies and stuff for you and your siblings. Lots of people enjoy these things without making them their whole life.

(Also I’m being petty here but watching movies is not a “technology free night”. Play a board game or something).

That was last year, December 2021. Fortunately for those of us hooked on this name-blame-nerd drama, OP wrote a sequel. Yes, there is a happy ending.

Hi so I ended up moving in with Missy’s family for a few months because it was all too much. It was really nice, but I ended up moving back out because I did miss my family if you can believe it.

Missy’s Mom helped me figure out how to talk to my Mom and Dad and we sat down to air out everything. It really seemed like they were finally ready to let me be my own person and back off and also that thing about the family making memories that DON’T have to do with fandom. They said all those things were so important to them they wanted to share them.

For my birthday they took us all to Arches like I always wanted. On the road trip there we listened to a fantasy young adult book that they all wanted to hear. I didn’t want to but they were doing a nice thing for me so I didn’t complain.

It wasn’t bad, but I still don’t like fantasy. But lots of you told me to just try with an open mind and when you're driving through the desert you kind of have to.

When we got to Arches I felt really emotional like when you have a really good day and you’re waiting for the sun to set and everything to get dark again because that’s what feels comfortable. But then I ate so much pizza my face smelled like cheese and I felt a little better.

On the ride home when it was just me and Dad awake said he was happy I had come home and he hopes we can all get along better now and that I don’t feel so much anger towards them.

But as time went on things all went back and that’s just how my family is. It’s what my siblings are happy with and what my mom and dad like. And it’s not my place to tell them not to be who they are.

So I ended up making a big decision and the reason that I wanted to pick now to write this update is that I am going to college in Colorado. I received my early acceptance a few days ago and I feel like I can breathe again. Not just that but I will be starting a new life with a new first name. One my mom helped me choose that has nothing to do with any media at all.

I will be able to branch out and be myself but I’ll still be a car ride away from my nerdy parents for when I miss mom’s hugs and dad’s meatball subs.

And that’s all I really wanted :)