Voice Notes: Musings in the Backyard
Anything you want to be
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 How do Single Parents Poop in Peace?
Week 57
Dear Myles,
Sometimes I don’t have time to write, so I press record on my phone and just ramble while holding you. I hope voice notes like this is something you’ll appreciate when you’re older. This one was recorded early in the morning while we were sitting on the deck.
Transcript below:
I grew up in the city. In a small apartment. Where we could not make too much noise, or the people would let us know with their brooms, we were inconveniencing them.
Play was silent. Perhaps this is the reason why I still walk on my toes. I don’t want to be an inconvenience, I guess, still.
There are things that the mind had to bury, but they begin to uncover when you have a son.
Like I grew up in the city, surrounded by concrete. But here I am, holding you in the backyard, in the midst of trees, some I have never seen before—acorns and bamboo.
I’ve never seen so many weeds, so many plants; it almost feels disrespectful to uproot them.
It’s weird having so much space. No one to tap their broom on the ceiling to let you know that you are making too much noise.
You scream in the distance – you can even hear an echo.
Back in Brooklyn, you scream too loud, you'd be greeted by… let’s just say some colorful words.
I don’t know what kind of kid you are going to be, you know.
You have so much space, so much love, two parents making it all work.
[Parents] who have the capacity to love, to provide, to think, to write, to create.
Who will you be?
Who do you think you want to be?
What you wanna be?
You can be anything you want to beeeee
Anything you want to be
—
I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Love,
Daddy
Appreciation Time: Thank you to one of my closest friends, Latoya, for signing up to be a paid subscriber. I’m grateful even though we are miles apart, it always feels like we are still at 1260- Love you ❤️
These letters are a labor of love. All funds collected from writing these letters go toward Myles' college savings. A paid subscription also gives you access to all letters I’ve written to Myles, including these letters I write every other week or so, where I explore fatherhood more deeply, discuss my own upbringing, and reflect on what it means to be raising a Black son.
If you can’t commit to a monthly subscription, but still want to support Myles’ college plan, here is my Buy Me a Coffee page.
And if you are on Substack, please restack this letter and recommend it so I can share this love with the world.
Let me know your thoughts:
I’ve teamed up with some great people to host a writing group called
- 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.
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!
The Cookout Library 👋🏿👋🏽👋🏾
What’s The Cookout Library👋🏿👋🏽👋🏾? The Cookout Library is a virtual compilation of Black Writers put together by me —we deserve to be seen. Consider these writers seasoning for your palette. These writers have inspired me, encouraged me, and are just beautiful souls.
Recently I added
, , , , , , ,Want more of Myles’ Letters?
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.
This took my breath away. The sound of nature mingled with the sound of your voice and your love for Myles. Goosebumps. So beautiful. You can't control the world but you can make sure your baby knows they are loved, and he is loved.
So glad I stopped on this one!
Soooooo good. His cooing, the sounds of nature and I think the speed of which you are talking added this emotional dramatic element to this accompanied by the dialogue written out.
It was like I was a kid listening to my books on tape with the book in hand while listening to the person read it aloud.
The nostalgia, tempo, inter-generational conversation and healing that is unfolding is palpable.