Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Do you know the real story of how we picked your name?”
What to listen for
If they light up wanting to hear it again, this story is doing real work for them, it's proof they were wanted and thought about before they even arrived.
If they already know it and add their own detail or opinion about their name, notice that, it shows they're starting to make even inherited things feel like their own.
If they say they've never heard it or don't care, that's your cue to actually tell the story tonight, not skip it, this one is worth the extra two minutes.
What this tells you
This shows how connected they feel to their own origin story and whether it makes them feel rooted or just factual.