Mute Buttons

An Ode to Breastfeeding

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:

• How I Met Your Mother

• Sons of California and Palestine

• Tell them Where You’re From

• Balm for Wounds

Recently, our fridge went out, and my wife had to dump all the milk she had pumped for Myles. It took me back to the ease that came with him being breastfed.

42 Weeks Old

Dear Myles,

We don’t watch much TV these days 
But still, your mother carries remotes 
We never worry about losing

Two just in case 
one needs to recharge 

When things get loud 
Between channels
Of cry and fuss
I hand you over to her

She presses 
the mute button  
and for a minute 
times stops 
So quiet 
We can hear our thoughts

Thank God for the two remotes
Batteries not included, 
not needed 
just milk 

Love, 
Daddy

If you enjoyed this poem, you can read more of them here.

A special shoutout to our newest paid subscriber:

Amy Gabrielle: Grief, Growth & Lingerie

! Thank you!

These letters between me and Myles are free to read.

But if you want to support, consider becoming a paid subscriber. All proceeds collected from Raising Myles contributes to his College Plan.

If you can’t commit to a monthly subscription, but still want to support, here is my Buy Me a Coffee page.

---

Let me know your thoughts:

1. What’s a show you are bingwatching right now?

2. How do you recharge and find moments of quiet in your daily life, especially when things get a bit too loud?

3. What's one mundane yet essential thing you always make sure to have on hand, just like “the milk” in the last line?

4. Rose🌹: A highlight, success, small win, or something positive that happened this week.

5. Thorn: A challenge you experienced or something you can use more support with.

---

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.

  ---

  Celebrating Black Writers

  I built a virtual and interactive library to celebrate writers who have inspired me in writing to Myles every week. This is me giving them their flowers. Feel free to click around!

  Recently I added

  Joshunda Sanders
  ,
  Anderson II
  ,
  NJ
  ,
  Chevanne Scordinsky
  ,
  Karen Wesley
  ,
  Shadé
  ,
  Rachel Leeke
  ,
  Ashleigh Vaughn
  ,
  Chioma
  . Special thanks to
  Alex Lewis
  ,
  Sri Juneja
  , and
  Stanley Fritz
  for including the library in their newsletters. I appreciate you.