Mum defends daughter's name after trolls say it's slang for drugs
The mum has claimed people are making connections that don't exist
Emily Brown
A mum jumped to her daughter's defence after trolls criticised her name and claimed it was slang for a type of drug.
Tenille Bain, from Canada, is mum to two kids after welcoming her youngest, a girl, into the world four years ago.
She now shares posts featuring her children online, but she's found that some of her viewers are 'hugely judgemental' about her family and the name she chose for her daughter.
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The criticism didn't begin online though, and actually started at the couple's gender reveal party in May 2018.
There, Tenille got into a heated discussion with some of her family members who she says went 'ballistic' over their decision to name their daughter Chree, pronounced similarly to 'tree'.
Tenille's partner, Michael, had originally suggested the name as a joke, but Tenille decided to go with it in homage to her mum, Cheryl.
She also paid tribute to her grandmother with her daughter's name, which in full is Chree Mary Jane.
You might already be familiar with the term 'Mary Jane' as slang for marijuana, but critics argued Tenille only made things worse with the name Chree, saying it was too similar to 'tree' which is another name for the drug.
Discussing the criticism she's had over the name choice, Tenille said: "Multiple people have blatantly asked me why I’d choose to name my daughter Chree.
“People are just so afraid of change - they say they’re afraid she won’t get hired for jobs in the future, or she’ll be bullied in class. But in the same breath, she’ll go to school with a River, or a Brooke, or a Forrest."
The mum claimed that a lot of people have tried to find 'meaning in [her daughter's] name that isn't there, adding: "Chree is not named after marijuana."
She also expressed belief that people see the online world as a 'safe, anonymous space to say whatever they like’, adding: "I had one person say they’d rip up an application if they saw Chree’s name on it.
“Some of the comments can be really loaded - someone said no-one would be able to pronounce it.
“I feel protective of my kids - but I also see it as an opportunity to teach them not to be prejudiced or judgemental.”
Though Tenille's family weren't on board with the name at first, saying the parents 'couldn't' call their daughter Chree, they have since 'learned to accept it'.
The family have also received support from a lot of more positive people online, with Tenille saying: "People always say Chree’s personality perfectly complements her name.
“She’s very over-the-top, she sings and she dances. She’s just such a Chree."
"I think her name is beautiful," the mum added.