A Parent Taught Me Why Children Should Be Called by Their Names
Some time ago, I got a tutoring job through a church friend. I was hired to teach Mathematics and English to two children from a well-to-do Lagos family. On my first day, their mother kept checking in during the lesson. I was nervous, wondering whether I had taught the wrong topic or made a bad impression. After the class, she called me and said she was impressed with my teaching. Then she made one request: I should call her children by their actual names. I had been using expressions like “dear” and “my dear,” but in their home, nobody replaced the children’s names with pet names. The children also called me “Mr. D,” not “Uncle.” The experience stayed with me. Pet names can be affectionate, but names also carry identity, family history, culture and prayers. Do you think parents are right to insist that people call their children by their names, or are pet names simply a normal way to show affection?
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