There was a time when childhood was a sanctuary, a space untouched by the permanence of memory’s machinery. A time when mistakes could dissolve into yesterday, unburdened by the weight of public record. But now, in this age of the ever-watchful lens, where every misstep is captured, archived, and wielded like a weapon, how do young people carve out a space to be?
This week on Trims and Talk, I sit down with my three boys, my two sons, and the young man they grew up with as a brother. TENN is a singer, songwriter and producer. Jae-D, in his own words, is experimenting with music and is not ready to label himself. Jayden loves music, and he too is along for the ride. Music is in their bones, woven into their very being. Benjamin was playing drums before he could walk, Jacob followed his brother’s path with voice and bass, and Jayden found his rhythm in the shared language of melody.
But this conversation wasn’t just about music. It was about survival. About the quiet war of growing up in a world that sees them but does not always see them. We spoke about social media, about mental health, about the way a single moment—one misjudged word, one missed penalty—can turn into a life sentence. About how black boys, so often, are not given the grace to be young. And yet, despite all of it, they carry on. Not with the marching and the shouting of the generations before them, but with a knowing kind of resilience, a tempered steel beneath the skin.
And as I listened to them, as I watched them navigate their thoughts between laughter and the unspoken things that live in the gaps between words, I felt two things at once—pride and sorrow. Pride in their wisdom, in their artistry, in their ability to create light in a world that does not always return the favour. Sorrow, because the innocence of childhood is no longer a given; it must be fought for, defended, carved out in the spaces where they are allowed to exist without scrutiny.
This is their world now. A world where every moment is witnessed, recorded, judged. Where even silence can be held against them. And yet, they find ways to laugh. To love. To create. To endure.
This is Trims and Talk. A space for these conversations, for these truths. Listen, share, reflect. And most of all, remember to be kind. Because grace is a gift we all deserve.
🔗 Listen now on Spotify.
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