The etymology of my son's first name is thousands of years old. The first part of his name is always translated from Hebrew to English as, "My father." The latter part is the root of many other words, but in the abstract it generally means, "mighty." But only one of the meanings of his first name is the one that I intended when I proposed his name; "My father is my hero."
In Jewish tradition, a name isn't just a label to call someone by. It's common to name children with traits they possess, traits you want them to possess, or with a meaning that's important to the child's parent(s), and it's this latter sentiment that determined our choice of his name.
I promise, it was not my intent (and certainly not my wife's) to stroke my ego in naming our son "My father is my hero." Neither my wife nor I have fathers in our lives who could remotely qualify as our "hero"; we wanted something different for our son.
His name is a constant reminder to me of who I am supposed to be for him. Every time I am angry or frustrated, his name is a call back to my job, my duty, and my mission as his parent.
Be his hero.
It serves as a guideline for why I must provide consistent and reasonable (and enforced) boundaries. If I provide him with loving discipline, he will be better prepared to be an independent and successful adult.
Be his hero.
It creates an ever-present sense of the imperative to be honest about my own humanity. That my own failures and shortcomings do not disqualify me from being the man he needs me to be. I'm not aiming to be Superman. Just, to him, a super, man.
Be his hero.
Because even as he grows up, promises mean everything, and the world is so big.
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