Team Tepley: Coffee and a Song

I know we haven't been as diligent at updating the blog as we should be. It's sometimes hard after our full days to sit down and write... even if it is just to recount the day. Today, though, I wanted to reflect.

This morning, I had coffee with a new friend. It was so wonderful to sit down with another mother, with a child, right around Miles age, talking about our lives. I didn't realize how much I missed that. I think a lot of new parents feel like I do. Like we have to re-establish who we are - re-invent ourselves to "fit" into our new roles as parents. We adjust, but often, I think that we neglect the experiences that shape us as individuals, not recognizing or nurturing the reality that we all play many roles (parent, spouse, professional, child, sibling, etc...)

It was amazing to me how my coffee partner and I followed similar paths in some ways and made very different choices in others. It's always a gift when someone shares their life stories with you - it made me realize how much of an impact that we all make on each other. Whether it is our friends or family, or a brief exchange with strangers, every interaction that we have the potential to make a difference in a person's life.

After coffee, I thought a lot about the effect of our choices when it comes to our kids - what an incredible responsibility it is to raise these little humans through childhood and into adulthood. Parents are so powerful, but I think that most of us are really quite uncertain, second guessing ourselves and worrying about little things (or everything).

At one point in our conversation, I admitted that I really didn't see the "grey" in life before Miles. Black, white, right and wrong always seemed obvious to me. But now, everything is "grey" different shades, mind you, but still grey.

This evening, when I picked Miles up from daycare, I looked at him and realized that he had grown... it seemed, since the morning (I had been suspecting that he was having a growth spurt - and this was my confirmation, he is getting so big, so fast!).

His teacher, Miss Amy shared the activities of the day, a picture that Miles had colored and the songs they sung in circle time. All of the sudden, Miles made a request "row, row row..." (They had sung Row, Row, Row your Boat" and he had taken a liking to the song.) Honoring his request, we sang it for him to his smile and when we finished he clapped.

After we got home - while dining on enchiladas, and through bed time, Miles repeated his request, "row, row, row..." his Da-da and I gladly performed (in a round, no less..)

It is so awesome to watch him grow and learn, to see the impact that we all have on his life and the awesome little person that is emerging.

Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas, Great-Grandmas and Great-Grandpa, Aunties and Uncles, new friends and old friends, Miss Amy and Miss Dee (and all of the teachers at Artisticrats) and especially, my dear, dear husband the most INCREDIBLE Da-da, for being a part of shaping who our little guy is and who I am too.

- Ma-na

MILES ART GALLERY SUMMER/FALL 2009

Just a little sample of his artistic point of view...