“When someone loves you the way they say your name is different. You know your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy, age 4.

I use my children’s names countless times each day—to call, to scold, to direct. Do their names sound safe in my mouth?

I know for sure they tremble a bit when middle name is coupled with first—a sure indication that trouble is coming. What do they feel the rest of the time–when I bark an order, when I lose patience with slowness on a math assignment, or when I consistently call them a sibling’s name?

I remember the first time I ever used any of my children’s names. Lying in my arms moments after coming into the world, their eyes would lock onto mine. “Hello . . . ,” and as their name rolled off my tongue, all the love and joy of the meeting our anticipated child for the first time filled their name. I want every time I use my child’s name to reflect that moment.

As we home school, we have countless opportunities to call our children, talk with our children, direct our children. We have the chance so many parents miss—to fill days connecting with our children. Who knew it could be as easy as making their name safe in our mouths?

I know I often think too hard about the curriculum we use, the amount of time we are actually in the books, or how far behind I feel. This quote reminds me I need to think just as hard about the little things that become big—like how my children’s names sound. Is their name safe in my mouth?