“When we were hoping to have our first
child in 2017, Ryan wrote a song to
welcome a baby into the world.”

“When we were hoping to have our first child in 2017, Ryan wrote a song to welcome a baby into the world.”

Okay, so Ryan makes up songs all the time. They can be about anything… toast, grass, toilet paper, you name it! He’s been this way since we met in 2010. When we were hoping to have our first child in 2017, Ryan wrote a song to welcome a baby into the world (Beautiful Day to Be Alive). This song was very different than the song about toast. No knock against toast. This one had a beginning, middle and end and we found ourselves singing it all the time. Then after our first son was born Ryan started writing songs about feelings, and trying and failing, and bananas. Thinking he was writing these songs for our son, we both noticed these are themes and ideas we never stop needing to hear no matter what our age. Maybe not the bananas one, but you get it. We thought it would be fun to make up characters (hello Rufus & Bea) who go on adventures and grow with a little help from some musical friends.

One day our son, Alden, and I were baking a pie (not a usual thing) and the crust was giving us some major trouble. We were getting frustrated and Alden looked at me, put his hand on my shoulder and sang the line, “It’s Gonna Work Out”. A little ditty Ryan sang all the time while he was cooking, or working, or picking up after a very large golden retriever. And now our son was not only using it to process his own frustration, but he was offering it to me to help me process my own. That was the moment we realized that music has always been one of the most powerful tools to help regulate the emotions of babies, children AND adults. We had all these songs and stories we were actively utilizing in our home and we wondered if other children and families might benefit from hearing these songs and stories. So we formed a duo (Tiny Prime), recorded an album, wrote the stories, and here we are!

We’re glad you’re here. And for whatever is currently on your mind please remember… It’s Gonna Work Out.

With love,
Lisa

Waaait a second… (Ryan here)... and this page is titled “Our Story”, so I think there are a select few tidbits worth adding to paint a more complete picture. I’ll be quick...

First, yes, I do indeed have a habit of writing silly songs. (And yes, imho they’re all bangers.) But what really merits mention here is the environment of music Lisa encouraged in our home from day one. Yes, she’s got an incredible gift for singing, which is something I and the boys have been so grateful to experience. But even when she’s not singing, she has always intentionally filled our home with uplifting music. That’s a big part of the reason I’ve felt comfortable to sing silly songs, thanks to her encouragement. Which brings me to my second point… singing for non-singers.

As new parents we started doing a lot of research on bonding and through that learned how much children love the sound of their parents singing voice, no matter how “bad” the parent might think they sound. Unfortunately contemporary society has somehow convinced many of us that to sing you need to sound perfect. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. So another big part of our story has been the role Lisa played simply encouraging me to sing, even if I don’t think I sound like Ed Sheeran. I think that’s something many parents could benefit from, especially dads. It’s a brave act to be vulnerable enough to sing, and the reward is building deeper connection with your kids.

The last thing I’d like to touch on are all the remarkable lessons I’ve learned about parenting just by watching my wife. Like so many remarkable mothers, she has a natural intuition for loving, listening to, and being present for our boys. I remember one moment very early on in our parenting journey where she let me know how important it is that we treat the simple everyday things they communicate to us with real importance, “because those things truly are important to them, and if we don’t honor that now we cannot expect them to want to share their most personal ideas and feelings with us as they grow older”. That really hit me. And it was just one of the myriad beautiful insights I’ve gained watching Lisa just do her thing with our sons.

I could go on, but for now this will suffice. Thank you for reading. We hope to learn your story too.

With love,
Ryan