A friend recently encouraged Sean and I to consider the role "thank you" plays in our personal, professional, and parenting lives. He was questioning its possible overuse in different environments and what it means to offer gratitude without sincerity or for expected acts (such as, this is my job, you don't have to thank me) and challenging us to consider how and why we use "thank you" in our lives. I have found myself coming back to this conversation especially when it comes to considering my own expectations for my children offering gratitude and its relation to my teaching practice in dance. ​