Nico Jones

As a young child I could easily interpret the seriousness of my parent’s discipline not only by the tone of their voice but by the name that preceded each warning. Sue indicated a mere warning to modify my behavior. Sue Kimmy (which I vehemently despised) revealed their humor in my actions but hinted they might have less patience if I continued tormenting my siblings. Susan Kimberly would undoubtedly get my attention and would most likely redirect my behavior to something less obtrusive or destructive. And when my full first, middle and last name was used I knew that I had crossed the line of no return and it would be in my best interest to skedaddle and be on my best behavior.

These subtle indicators worked their magic more often than not (at least when I was little).

As a parent now, I use these same tactics to capture my children’s attention and redirect questionable behavior. My children are not surprised by these specific mentions of their names – they are fully aware that they are pushing boundaries and these simple reminders suggest a necessary change in activities and the name I choose to use denotes the seriousness of the offense and implies how flexible I will be if they continue to push the envelope.

While I did not consciously interpret my parent’s actions (although I subconsciously reacted) and I was clearly an adult before I realized the benefit of revealing my seriousness through the use of a name, my smart little cookie, Hope, has discovered the success of this tactic very early on and has already begun to use this influence to her benefit.

The pitfalls of emitting authority and utilizing this method as a young sibling is their lack of insight on the origination of each sibling's name.

So, when Hope began incorporating Nico’s middle name into her many demands of her younger brother I gave her a lot of credit for her ingenuity but I wasn’t all that surprised when her influence didn’t quite render the desired results. Mistakenly referring to Nicholas James as Nico Jones only fueled his fire as he repeatedly responded with “I Nicholas James”.

But the entire interaction had me laughing hysterically and contemplating my authoritative influence based on the simple selection of a name. I’m afraid opting to use Nicholas James as a behavioral modification tactic may never hold the same authority or produce the desired results in the future – especially when I find myself continually referring to our youngest babe by his latest nickname, Nico Jones.

And yes, those are Hope's high heel's Nico Jones is sporting in the photo above.