April 26 – “The last name phenomenon”

Cailyn made a discovery yesterday.  At least we found out about it yesterday.  She discovered that she could say the word, "Vaughan."  I'm not sure what began the conversation between her and her Mom and her Nani.  I was in the other room working on the computer.  But all of a sudden I heard her say, quite clearly, "No, Nani.  I not Cailyn Vaughan.  Daddy is Vaughan."  Her Daddy is indeed called Vaughan by his coworkers at the fire station.  It was too good a situation to pass up, though, when Chris brought her into the office to show off.  We made the rounds of all of us, asking if our names were "DadDad Vaughan," or "Nani Vaughan" or "MoeMoe Vaughan" or "Mommy Vaughan."  It seemed that we could all be "Vaughan" somehow, but she was adamantly not "Cailyn Vaughan."  I think calling us Vaughan was so absurdly ridiculous to her that it became part of the game she assumed we were playing.  Kind of like calling us "Fork" or "Meatloaf" or "Sniggleberry Tootlepants."   Great fun.  Reminded me of the time a few weeks ago when she found one of Jachin or Micah's action figures (NOT a doll) on the shelf in the office.  She got very excited, and held it up for me to see.  "Look, DadDad.  It's Bacon Man."  At first I thought she was saying something else and my hearing aids were causing something to be lost in the translation.  So I asked her to tell me again who that guy was.  Very clearly, and with more than a little consternation at her DadDad's obvious ignorance, she replied, "I told you, DadDad.  It's Bacon Man."  OK.  I like bacon as much as the next guy.  Who was I to tell her differently?   But back to the last name phenomenon.  I got to thinking.  Scary, I know.  But in Cailyn's little world, she is the only Cailyn there is.  All she has ever heard herself called is Cailyn.  Why should she think any else?  And she hears her Dad called "Vaughan" all the time.  That's obviously who he is.  I wonder if she was hearing us call her "Cailyn Daddy"?  How silly would that sound to her?  She's a girl, he's a boy.  She's little, he's big.  She's nothing like him.  In her eyes that would make me be "DadDad Daddy."  And Chris, "Nani Daddy."  And April, "Mommy Daddy."  How confusing is that?  Taking the name of someone else as part of your own.  Kind of like people wanting to be called "Christian" when it's obvious they are nothing like Christ.  Ouch.   Acts 11:25-26 says, "Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."   Father, I am proud to be called by your name.  Help me act like you so people won't just laugh as if it were a game.  Amen.