This month, we have been “REAL.” We’ve covered the real parts of real life- it’s messy, it’s hard and focusing on telling real stories in our scrapbooking. Today, I want to talk about something that I have struggled with lately- being present in my life as far as photos go. I have all these fabulous pages & stories told from my perspective but hardly any evidence of me “being” there. This month- I want us all to start showing up on our layouts (via photographic evidence!)
Let’s just be honest for a second here- we’ve all had our trials & tribulations & looked better. I will be the 1st to admit that I don’t love the photos taken of me- in my head I see a much different picture than what I see on the screen/camera. After my son was born, I still have hung on to that ‘baby’ weight- even though we just celebrated his 4th birthday! I know I’m not the only one that didn’t put on clothes with buttons on or (gasp!) got a good shower today (and by good I don’t mean the 5 minute necessary parts.) I know that many of us- not just mommas- avoid the camera for our reasons, but that stops today!
My mother gave me a wonderful keepsake book all about her. There are photos of her all throughout her childhood, teenage years, the early days of her & my dad’s marriage & then of course my sister & I with her. I LOVE it with big old bold capitals & italics. This got me thinking of what evidence my kids have of my life with them? They won’t remember the minutiae of our daily lives or all that I do for them, but having a picture of us reading together, playing with the dog or of our family at the lake house- will be cherished (or at least I hope so!) I also read somewhere on the interwebs about how our sons and daughters need to see us as ourselves- human & beautiful in our natural womanly ways- especially with all the media they are inadvertently exposed to. What message are we sending to our kids if we’re avoiding our picture because we don’t like how we look?
Lastly, I want my kids to not only have photographic evidence of me IN their lives, but also to remind them that I am my own person- with my own likes, dislikes, flaws and all. I want them to see that I loved to bake. That I enjoy doing crafty things. That I enjoy reading. That I love their Daddy. That I loathe laundry (please someone invent something that folds & puts it all away!)
I’m trying harder to make sure when I’m snapping pictures, to at least get a selfie or even ask someone to take one of me in the photo too! Here are some examples from the gallery that I love that have MOM in the picture!
Let’s make sure that we’re documenting all the joys in our life, our family and ourselves. Please join me over at the forum for a fun challenge!
About the Author: Amie is a craft loving, dental hygienist in WA state who loves her husband, two kids (ages 7 & 4), English Bulldog, coffee, baking cupcakes, daffodils, glitter & sprinkles, reading a good book and lip gloss- not necessarily in that order.