The Power of a Name
How does your family approach names? No, really! Are you traditional? Do you like unique spellings? Any Roman numerals involved?
Our family carries on a tradition of calling our kids by their middle names. It’s a fun little twist to normal life and yet another way we’re different. Little kids ask our children what their “real” name is and, when they hear the whole name, they look confused. Haha!
Then we broke from tradition by NOT naming our kids after grandparents. We started new traditions such as “boy names begin with C and girl names begin with S”, and “is it pronounceable in both English AND Spanish?” because of our Guatemalan side of the family. We later found out they thought it was weird too.
The Sweetest Sound
But after reading and discussing the Dale Carnegie book entitled “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and the importance of calling people by their name, it brought up a whole new point. You see, Carnegie said “We should be aware of the magic contained in a name and realize that this single item is wholly and completely owned by the person with whom we are dealing… and nobody else.” His point is that we must remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
For a child, this is especially so. They live in the safety and comfort of a loving family, a home preceded over by a marriage that shows them and the world the loving picture of Christ and His church. They are being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They’re receiving instructed in His precepts, and being introduced to His character on a daily basis, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Ultimately the sweetest thing for a little one to hear is their name spoken by family with a tone of love and acceptance.
Calling our children by their first, middle and last name when we’ve lost our patience, are shocked at something they’ve said, or are trying to make a point, all seemed counterintuitive after reading this chapter. Yet it’s what most of us have seen, right? My experience was a little different.
I remember my grandmother calling out my whole name when she wanted to bless me for a special occasion. I’ve heard my mother say my children’s whole name in a playful, sing-song voice that embodies a spirit of fun and invites them to engage with her. Once, I honored my son because of an exceptional show of good character, and I called him by his full name.
Aha! Moment
It dawned on me that what I’ve experienced, and accidentally done is a positive use of my children’s names! My challenge now is to intentionally
Bless them before bed and mention their full name.
Playfully invite them into a romp or a time of fun by mentioning their full name.
Praise and confer honor on them for their efforts in following our parental guidance while mentioning their full name.
A friend of mine put it this way “When your child’s name holds SIGNIFICANCE, PROPHECY, PURPOSE, why, oh why mama, use it in vain?”
Let’s turn that around! We only did it because we saw it done. No condemnation, guilt or shame necessary! Let’s just think about it and apply this however it suits our family. Let’s intentionally craft our home culture and our kids’ memories, not just go with the proverbial flow. So now let me ask you, How does your family approach names?