Lessons Learned at Tea Time with my Teen

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“Tea Time is a chance to slow down, pull back, and appreciate our surroundings.”  Letitia Baldrige

Summertime usually brings a renewed desire to try new things I didn’t have time for during the school year.  The Miami Moms Blog Summer Sip With Us event series provided an excellent opportunity to dive into a new experience.  The events are designed for moms to connect and build community, and our first event had my thirteen year old tea-loving teen written all over it. 

The series kicked off with a tea-tasting experience at My Tea Bar.  As a coffee-loving introvert, being around new people doing something I had never done before like a tea tasting is not somewhere I would naturally find myself.  I mean, I knew some things about tea.  If having the occasional cup of matcha green tea latte at Starbucks counts, then I knew about tea.  In contrast, my youngest LOVES tea.   So what is a coffee-loving introverted mom who prefers coffee but wants to connect with her teen to do?  She gladly attends a tea tasting Summer Sip With Us event with her.  Because more than loving coffee, I love to spend time with my kids doing things we’ll enjoy.       

I knew I’d learn about tea by attending this event, but I also learned some things about spending one-on-one time with my kids.  It’s not that I hadn’t put that into practice with my kids.  There was something about setting out to do something I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy, but I knew my daughter would definitely enjoy that added an extra layer of purpose and intention to our time together.

You can (and should) learn from your kids.

As parents, we don’t always have the same interests as our kids.  It can be a struggle to find ways to connect.  By attending this event, I saw that tea was so much more than just this thing that my daughter likes to drink.  Learning about the different types of tea and what the best ways to prepare and drink them was one thing.  Being able to listen to the mother-daughter team behind My Tea Bar, hearing their story of love and care for one another, which then translated into their love and care for My Tea Bar as a place with purpose inspired me.  To have my daughter there with me to glean from their inspiration was even better.  Learning about something together brings you closer together.  You will forever connect the learning of that information with who you were with.     

You can (and should) have fun with your kids. 

Sipping tea while they spilled the tea about tea.  Ah, just can’t get enough of the tea word play!  

I honestly thought that the most fun I’d have was the word play above.  I learned about the phrase “spilling the tea” from my teen daughters not too long ago, so I was thrilled to be able to put it into practice as some major “pun intended” action.  There is an element of fun to trying new things that even a big introvert like me recognizes.  My daughter and I had a blast at the tea-tasting.  It was so cool to watch her in her element.  Stepping out of my comfort zone allowed us to step into a fun time, and make some pretty cool memories.       

Building relationship with kids can be difficult.

Taking an interest in what our kids are interested in.  Building relationship with our teens.  Seems like a mine-filled labyrinth at times.  It can be especially challenging to find ways to connect with a child you may not naturally connect with.  There’s so much more that lies beneath the surface to all we see with our eyes. 

There’s always something to learn, and always an area we can grow in.  We can grow together or we can grow apart.  As much as it depends on me, I want to live a life of intention. The older my kids get, the more I realize that their time with me here at home is fleeting.  The next five to ten years of parenting are going to be filled with so much transition and change with an 18, 16, and 13 year old in the house.  I want to soak up as much as I can while I still can.  That means looking out for opportunities to connect with my kids in any way I can.  

I realize that everything she does will not be my “cup of tea.”  I’m okay with that.  I’m glad I took a chance on tea, tea tasting, and trying something new.  Because of that, I gained a greater appreciation for my daughter’s appreciation for tea.  I also gained a greater appreciation for my daughter as a person.  And that is most definitely my cup of tea.   

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Becky
Becky is a Miami native, and has lived here all of her life. Married to her husband for over 20 years, they lead a very active lifestyle along with their three teenagers and Riley, their rescue dog. Becky loves to teach, and has had the awesome privilege of home educating her children for over twelve years. When not teaching academics, Becky loves to equip, encourage, and empower women through the teaching of her group fitness classes. Becky and her husband lead various ministries, and their family loves to serve the community through the countless opportunities provided over the past twenty years+ in their local church. She enjoys filling her "free" time with reading, writing, watching movies, and just spending time with the family. Becky has a passion for living her life with grit and grace, and encouraging others to do the same. You can find her at Substack to stay connected.