Pouring Into My Daughter At Teatime☕️

I started a new tradition with my daughter. Once a month I take her for tea ☕️. It’s simple now. Lighthearted chit chat about the girl in class always getting in trouble, giggles over spilled tea, & clutched hands🤝 as we meander our way through the freezing rain & downtown shops. Well spent, sacred time during these years, & valued all the more when I look ahead to what I’m (hopefully) tea-ing us up for…

Savanah’s, Gryphon, is our favorite tea spot. Highly recommend their hot cinnamon spice tea. Also, are you even a girl mom if you don’t wear a BFF bracelet?

You see, I know all too well, “these years” are fleeting. There will come a time, far too soon I’m afraid, when I most likely won’t be the loudest voice in her life. She’ll quiet it just little as she grows into her own. No matter how long I try to hold it off, childhood will eventually give way, & I won’t always be the one she runs to first. I won’t be the coolest person she knows anymore, & she won’t idolize me the way she does at 7yrs young. I know, how dare they go & grow up, turning into cringy middle schoolers & too cool for carpool kisses, teenagers…but they do

Their “Afternoon Tea” selecation is not to be overlooked on the menu. The most adorable 3tier tray of pasties, fruit, & tea sandwhiches. The candied French toast is a hit as well.

So I’m getting intentional now & fighting the good fight! 💪 Maybe I’m fighting a losing battle, & no matter what I do, adolescence will prevail, & we won’t be best friends again till she’s older & wiser😉 (I know it took me far too long to see my mom that way again), but untill then, I’ll enjoy the slow fade, savoring every sip of tea & ounce of childhood this season has to offer.

I’ll stay plugged in, listening to every silly thing that excites her, hanging onto every word that leaves her pink, lipgloss covered lips knowing (okay, just really, really hoping) that someday the conversation will shift from who crushed her leaf castle to who crushed her heart. From struggles with addition to struggles with peer pressure. From planning her next birthday to planning her wedding, & a multitude of moments, big & small in-between. I’ll invite her to share & offer my guidance, bc Lord knows I’ve learned some life lessons, & what I haven’t learned, well, I have a mom & mother-in-law to guide me in guiding her. 😉 

I may be a novice in the parenting world, but I’m banking on this investment of special, quality time, & praying that by forming the habit of talking & sharing on a regular basis we’ll somehow supersede all teenage parallels & maybe, just maybe we’ll thrive at this whole mother/daughter thing.

HAPPINESS is mother/daughter bows & afternoon tea

I’ll create the stage for conversations that build her up & humble her when needed. Conversations that point her to Jesus & reinforce that she is loved & cherished by us both. A very intentional reminder that even though she rarely gets my full attention, she never escapes my attention, & that I’ll continue to be there for her, to invest in her, guide her…& probably buy her the occasional, ridiculous & unnecessary mommy/daughter day souvenir like the white sunglasses that made her squeal with joy when she looked in the mirror ♥️ (thanks Free People $🤣).

Paris Market is another Savannah favorite for tea, & their “Paris Fog” is delectable

And through it, I’d like to think that no matter how much she quiets my voice through the altering seasons, there will always be at least one day a month, that over a cup of hot tea, she’ll ask me questions & share the biggest pieces of her life with me.

So much love for the Gryphon in Savannah for being our most beloved tea spot. Always setting the stage of elegance for this quality, mommy & me bonding. They serve up the most perfect backdrop, have a stellar tea selection & those cucumber sandwiches that make us feel fancy (even when we clumsily spill the tea 🤪) Just wish I could remember our favorite waitress’s name right now to shout her out properly as well, because much like the restaurant itself, she was a class act, & made our visit most enjoyable 💗 Check the “around town” in my Instagram highlights @lostinthelowcountry to see more of this darling tea room & plan your visit.