I'm not sure I could count the number of times that my mother has given me advice on being a dad recently.
"Stop asking her so many questions," she'll tell me. "Let her be a toddler." I bite my tongue, and try to pay better attention to my parenting. Because she's right.
Glancing at a recent post on
Nikole's weblog, I realized that the answer might not involve paying better attention, or even trying harder.
It might simply involve more play, being more present. Meeting my daughter "where she's at," as one of my Georgetown organizational development professors would tell me, not where I want her to be.
Each morning, Thea and I wake early. We feed the animals together, and brew tea for Nikole. And then she snuggles in my arms and says, "Dance, Daddy." That's my cue to stop scrolling the iPhone or listening to the news. It's a request for me to be present, to dance with my little girl.
She has a book with three musical buttons on it. When Thea pushes the middle button, we tickle each other. It's a request for me to play.
The photo caption of Nikole's post should give all of us pause. "Thea fully engaged in play," it reads.
My daughter doesn't need a request or a cue to be present, or to dance, or to play. She just does, intuitively, what the moment asks of her.
The Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (RMCVB) is the primary marketer of the Richmond Region to potential visitors. RMCVB was asked the take the lead on one of several dozen initiatives launched by the Richmond Region Cultural Action Plan, an effort by local cultural organizations to boost alignment, collaboration and visibility. 
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The conversations are part of the ongoing work on the part of Bon Secours to supports its values-based, service-focused culture throughout Richmond and Hampton Roads. The opportunity to partner with such a dynamic organization is made all the more engaging by the learning the Floricane team will experience during our work together.
