HELLO!! okay so there's this thing in a lot of cultures where the parents name a kid with a specific meaning so that the things from the meaning of that name comes to their child, right? like idk someone named "Joy" would be joyous in life.

now, applying this to Childe, his real name is Ajax. as in Ajax The Great from Greek Mythology who was a great warrior and hero in the Trojan War (iirc), then killed himself after he wasn't given something or like out of shame. that. whatever.

now imagine that your son, who you named Ajax, because you wanted him to be a warrior. a brave and strong warrior who had solid ideals. your son had been timid throughout his time as a child. eventually, he does become brave, he does become a warrior. but it was at the cost of your son falling into the abyss, turning into someone you don't recognize, someone who you (guiltily) feel endangered around.

if the cost was having your son killing his old self for him to be brave, then maybe you shouldn't have named him "Ajax" then. let him stay a timid child, give him a name where he will be close to home and easy to protect. maybe you should've named him something weaker. maybe you would've been able to protect him if he was weaker, if he stayed timid.