I’m a self described mamarazzi. I take tons of pictures of my childrens’ sporting events, family get togethers, travel photos, and everyday moments. My family is pretty well documented. But I myself am not!
Going back through last year’s pictures, I’m not in very many of them. In fact, I’m in very few photos over the past ten years. That’s ten years of memories during my children’s childhood! I wish I was in more of the pictures, because I can’t get those years back. Will my kids look through our photo albums after I am gone and wonder if I was even there during so many of those special times?
There’s a lot of reasons Moms don’t get in the pictures…maybe we don’t like the way we look, or maybe it’s because we’re the ones that take the pictures. I can’t say I love the way I photograph. But the main reason I am not in many of our photos is simply because I take them all. My husband would probably be happy to take some of them, but quite honesty, I don’t ask him often enough. Big mistake on my part!
It makes me sad to think that my children may wonder what I looked like during that time in their life. But more importantly, by being behind the camera all the time, I’ve created a situation where my part of the story could be in danger because there are no photos to show I was even there! I have tried so hard to document and preserve our family history, and I’ve failed to include myself!
I’m changing my ways right now. My children need these memories. Photos show relationships and fun times, they tell the stories of our lives. If you’re always behind the camera, your stories are in danger as well! Make an effort to change that today. Ask someone else to take the picture once in a while! Your children need those memories….and future generations will appreciate having your stories as well!