Carpal Tunnel

Poems of gratitude recorded during nap time.

If you’re new to Raising Myles, Welcome!

I write letters to my newborn son, Myles, sharing my journey as a first-time dad and spreading the love I didn't experience myself. If you’ve been here before — thank you for coming back. If you’re new here, below are some good places to start:

• My most recent letter to him was Bebe Oso

• On Friendships written by his Godmother,

  Rachel Leeke

• Pictures Can’t Hold Full Stories

• Tell them Where You’re From

• Balm for Wounds

I started write Myles short poems that I read out loud. They’ve been fun and healing. You can now find them all here. I recorded the two below during nap time.

46 Weeks Old

Dear Myles, 

Carpal Tunnel 

“Don’t spoil that baby,”they say 
I wish they knew 
The nights we prayed for a child 

How could we spoil a blessing 
from an everlasting God?
 
We hold, hug, and carry you 
Though our wrist
sound like small fire crackers 
we suffer through 

This pain is nothing 
In comparison to the void that was here 
During Those night we prayed for a child

Love,
Daddy

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Contact Naps 

When you sleep, I like to get eye level,
Down to the horizon of your chest, 
just to make sure it rises and falls.
I used to count the seconds between your breaths

When you sleep, I like to put my two fingers 
right under your nose,
Just to feel the warmth
Flowing gently between your nostrils

Sometimes when you're asleep,
And your mother too,
I stay awake just a little longer,
To let Him know I'm grateful.
Just to make sure,
He isn't playing takebacks.

Love,
Daddy 

Myles at 6 months

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A gentle heads-up: After writing these letters every week for about 10 months, I'm ready to explore some of the topics I've been avoiding around fatherhood, my own upbringing, and what it means to be raising a Black son. For the sake of remaining true to this work, protecting my family, and my mental health, I'll be paywalling some of these letters.

I’ll be sending a letter midweek explaining more in detail, but I wanted to thank you all for joining me on this journey thus far. It’s because of you—2000 of you and counting—that I show up every week, and it’s because of you that I’m able to call myself a writer. I hope you’ll consider joining me on this journey.

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Let me know your thoughts:

1. Is it possible to spoil a child?

2. Have you ever had Mommy/Daddy Wrist?

3. When, if ever, did you stop checking to make sure the baby was still breathing?

4. Do you nap? When? Where? How?

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Want more of Myles’ Letters?

• Three Months After I Met your Mother

• Last week you met your Grandfather

• Read about My Wife’s Love Affair - It’s exactly what you don’t think

• Have you ever been Cooking in the Bathroom kind of tired?

• Check out Carrying the Gift, Holding the Love

• Read about Our first Father’s Day.

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I’ve teamed up with some great people to host a writing group called

Locked In

- a weekly virtual writing session for Black, Indigenous, & Writers of Color and writers of the global majority. We write together every Friday at 9:00AM ET. If you’re looking for some community around writing, please tap in.