In the Picture

One of the blogs I follow posted this response to her feelings about this article written by Allison Tate. I couldn't help but relate deeply and start thinking about how I don't want to be one of those moms who never gets in the picture with her kids because I don't love the way I look. I have over 1,600 pictures on my phone alone. I'll take a guess that 1,500 of them are of Cam alone being cute and doing funny things. I'm sure I'm in a couple of them, but I certainly don't jump into pictures in general. I'm a bit camera shy mostly because I can always find a flaw in a picture of myself. But, I need to get in more of the pictures. I need Cam to look back at pictures of me and see how much I love him, not just hear me tell him. I need him to see that I was once youthful and energetic and did fun things with him.

I have some really special pictures of me and my mom growing up. I can think of one in particular of her snuggling me in a crowd when I was a little girl. Her bangs are full and her hair is braided. And I'm nuzzled up in her lap wearing a pink romper. I need to dig that up and frame it... it's a good one. And, I think I love it so much because it's a perfect example of how I remember my mom. Loving on me. Not showy or flashy. No posing with an arm popped on her hip. No perfect lighting or adorable props. Just me and my mom, loving on me as she does so well.

I love this quote from Allison's article:

"I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother.”

And, I am so grateful that as a young mother, I can learn from others before me and make an effort to have less regrets later down the road. So today, I'm adding something to my ever growing To Do List -- get in the picture. 

Here are a few (unposed, non-professional) pictures I managed to scrape up of me and my sweet boy that I hope one day he will cherish as much as I do. I hope he sees the ridiculous amount of love I have for him, unposed and unscripted.