Racing Emotions: A Mix of Fun, Lessons & Adventure in St. Maarten

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Today, my daughter and I were excited to stop in St. Maarten on our very first cruise and did an excursion based off of the show “Amazing Race.” We connected with others and formed a group of ten. There weren’t many children participating in this event, so I was glad that another child just one year younger than Quinn was on our team whose name just happened to be Quinnlin.

However, what initially started as a fun activity quickly turned into a stressful, less enjoyable time for Quinn and her new cruise friend, Quinnlin. While I most certainly can be competitive, when it involves working with a team, especially when team members have specific roles, I try my best to make everyone feel like they are contributing while having fun in the process. We had a team captain, a team navigator, and I was the team “clue master,” which involved me reading clues to the team to solve riddles and successfully complete the race.

Everyone was excited and ready for fun. We had a team member, who quickly sprung into action, which may seem great, but she also quickly left team members behind, including her own child. She would then grow frustrated if others gave input on solving certain clues if it was contrary to what she thought. Quinn even told me that she thought I was competitive, but this woman had me beat!

I told her that part of being in a competition with a team is working as a team and not making people feel left out and that part of the excursion is to have fun. Luckily the other members did work well together. ☺️

While we did win the race beating out ten other teams, I wish the experience was better for Quinn. But she shared with me the lesson she learned about the importance of working together and listening to others.

Plus, after the race we were able to spend a couple of well-earned hours at the beach just relaxing.

All the best,

Tanya

Miniature Golf is a Hole in One!

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As we age, our firsts become few and far between. This certainly is the case in watching my ten year old daughter grow up. Today, Quinn not only experienced her first time playing miniature golf but her first time getting a hole in one.

I’m so glad that I caught her in action because the look of excitement on her face was reminiscent of how excited I was when she walked or talked for the first time.

With the 18 holes, I was barely on par and did get a little frustrated with myself and the ball at times, but none of that mattered because I witnessed the joy Quinn felt and had a great time with my family.

All the best,

Tanya

My Little Mermaid’s Making Waves of Difference 🥰🧜🏽‍♀️

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“She looks. Just like Princess Ariel,” a girl wearing her Little Mermaid floaty came up to me me. To my amazement, she was talking about my daughter Quinn. In that moment, it occurred to me that she did favor the Little Mermaid” played by Halle Bailey quite a bit.

Unfortunately, even in 2023, there are some people who believe that the Little Mermaid shouldn’t have been played by an African American. So when this little girl, who was Caucasian, was absolutely in awe of Quinn and wanted to follow her around the pool and just be her friend, I thought it was the absolute best!

Their interaction together makes me feel like despite some prejudice and close-minded views, we are headed in the right direction.

All the best,

Tanya

Celebrating a Dedicated “Girl” Dad on Father’s Day

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We arrived about a half hour early for our Father’s Day reservation, and I anticipated having to wait a little while to be seated. But that wasn’t the case at all. A gentleman ahead of of didn’t even have reservations and was given the option of indoor or outdoor seating because there was plenty of seating available. This is the complete opposite of Mother’s Day where reservations must be done at least two months in advance, and if you arrive without one, the host just might laugh you out of the restaurant.

This instance reminds me of how much of a rare gem my husband is to me and our daughter. Though he’s not much of a picture taker and isn’t on social media, I’m grateful for his presence and happy that I’m not taking these “baby steps” as a parent alone, as many mothers sadly do.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers, fathers-to-be, like a father, uncles, pop-pops, etc. This is your special day!

All the best,

Tanya