I Wish I had More Photos of My Mom

In 2014 my beautiful grandmother passed away. I realized shortly there after that I didn’t have many photos of her and I. Just a couple here and there and some at my wedding. I still don’t actually have a ton of photos of the three women who really shaped me growing up and that makes me sad because they are totally incredible women. But I will tell you this. I cherish the photos I do have.

As mom’s we often forget to get in front of the camera. We forget that we were a part of the story and the journey. As a mom myself to three tiny humans… who are maybe not so tiny anymore, I realized that I spent so much time behind the camera that my kids don’t have any proof that I was actually there with them at every moment. This makes me sad. What makes me even more sad is that I have been a photographer for so many years and it still didn’t dawn on me that I was in limited photos with my kids.

It Hit me like a Hammer on Halloween 2018

I realized that every year, I purchased the costumes, I purchased the candy, I took the kids out trick or treating rain or not by myself mostly, I did all the things but at the end of the night my husband who would always be at work, would get the traditional Halloween Photo with the kids. And that’s when it dawned on me. I did all the work, but the kids will only ever see my husband in the photos. Like how was that even cool. Now don’t get me wrong. I love my hubby, but his work would always keep him late, hence why he didn’t trick or treat with us many years. But dang! I wanted my kids to know that I was there too.

That’s when I realized that wasn’t a them problem, but a me problem. I didn’t want to be in front of the camera. I didn’t like the way I looked or felt so it wasn’t a priority for me. But then I realized how selfish I was being. My kids don’t care how I look. They just want to be in a photo with me. I eventually realized I was being selfish because of my insecurities.

So here I am, 4 years later and I’m am in all the photos now. The good ones and the bad ones, because I want my kids to be able to look back and remember all the good times. I want them to remember what I looked like and to tell stories about how that photo came to be. Photos no matter how good or how bad help us remember things. They are a snapshot of a time or a memory.

Creating the Legacy

So it’s time for us moms to get into the photos. It’s time to show up and remember that the photos we take now will be the photos our kids look at and use to reminisce. I want them to share with their kids and their grandkids all the stories and memories that they bring up. After all, that is what leaving a legacy is all about.