The Name Game

You know the syndrome that all parents get about 2 seconds after their second child is born, the one where they can never get the right name with the right child? I will be the first to admit that I have a terrible case of the Sibling Name Syndrome. It is a rare day when I don't call anyone by the wrong name. At least I haven't deteriorated to the point of just saying, "Hey you! Come here!" However, I fully expect to be at that point by the end of the summer. I always promised myself I wouldn't call my children by the wrong name, but it has kind of crept up on me.

On Friday we had an occurrence that made me feel a whole lot better about my inability to remember who my children are. I was running errands with all three boys, desperately trying to get done in time to take the boys to the park for a picnic and the free concert. (I had promised you see, and even used Lunchables as blackmail for good behavior in the store. So I had to get them to the park on time!) After the grocery store stop, I gave each of the big boys a job: Daniel was going to help me take the groceries into the house so the frozen food wouldn't get defrosted and Nathan was going to sit in the car with Matthew so we could be on the road again as soon as possible. After issuing these instructions, I asked each one what their job was. (Ask any teacher. This is a very important step in getting your children to remember anything you tell them. Making them repeat it back to you ensures that they understand . . . and that they were actually listening in the first place.) Daniel answered correctly and then Nathan summed up his job. "I'm going to stay in the car with Nathan . . . I mean Matthew."

It never occurred to me that my Syndrome might be contagious, but it appears that I have passed it on to my children. But in spite of the fact that I can only get my children's names right on a good day, at least I can always remember my own name!