Parents Call Their Children Cute Names As A Way Of Affection And Love
Do you think giving your children affectionate names is demeaning or do you think it is rather cute? I think many parents think it is cute and they like to call their children a special name that is personal to them from their parents. I use nicknames for both of my children and they have never complained. They aren’t embarrassing but different to what everyone else calls them.
Good Name Calling
I have coached children who have said they do not like the pet names that their parents use. They say it makes them feel younger than they are which they despise – they want to be seen as a grown up. They don’t feel that it describes them well or it just plain outright embarrasses them especially when they are in public and their parents are using these names. Should we be more conscious about the names we call our children? I think we should be. The names we give them can affect their character so they can behave like that ‘word’. For example, I coached a child who was called, ‘Baby’ so she acted like one. After all, that was what her parents were calling her. It meant that not only was she behaving like a baby at home but at school too and consequently she was being bullied for it.
If your child is pulling back and getting angry about the pet names, use their real name or a shortened version of their name if they don’t mind that. It is hard not to call them ‘lovely, flowery’ names but like anything it’s all about getting into good habits. It might be okay for you to call them these types of names in private but just don’t do it in public!
Children can also be unhappy with the nicknames that their friends call them. If they are take a look at strategies they can use when this happens.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
