It’s been a crazy few weeks here! We moved–still in the city, but more to come on that later. I was a puddle of nostalgic tears when we moved out of our home–eight years and two kids later, the move wasn’t pretty. It even involved the infamous “couch doctor” of NYC sawing our couch into parts at 9pm that evening to get it into the new place. My office (yes, a real office with a door that closes!) is a pile of boxes, yet I didn’t want Mother’s Day to slip past without a few images and some thoughts.
When I became a mom five years ago, it was a rough transition. Since I spent a lot of my life either caring for and/or coaching and teaching children, I thought I was pretty equipped for whatever challenges I might face. Which now looking back on, was sort of hilarious to think. I had a really hard time feeding my daughter and it was hell for both of us to get her to gain weight. A few days were great. A lot of days were horrible. I wondered how anyone was equipped to be so selfless and felt really frustrated and defeated at the beginning. Of course things improved and I adore my two girls (my second one had even more issues eating and gaining weight, and if you follow my blog, you’ll know all about that.) The minute I became a mom, I gained a whole new perspective on what my mom had done to raise all four of us, and still wonder how the hell she managed it with such grace, love, and happiness. I feel like I’ll never be as awesome as she was, but she is a great inspiration. She’s the top of Everest, and I’m operating on the Colorado Rockies level, if that.
I photograph a lot of family portraits, and moms often just want me to photograph their children while they remain out the frame. In some ways, this makes the session easier (fewer people to get to look at the camera, parents nervous energy not being passed on), but I always encourage parents to get in a few photos. Your kids will want to see pictures of you with them when they were young. I promise. I LOVE photos of my parents from when I was little. Really, just get in the picture. I understand the hesitation, because once or twice a year, I force myself to get in front of the camera and do family photos with my children and hubs. It’s not always comfortable, and it can feel awkward. You worry that your hair may not be perfect, that you had some baby weight that you were hoping to lose first, that you have bags under your eyes because one of your children was up all night, etc. But here’s the deal- when you are relaxed with your children and I can capture that moment, you are beautiful. You are mighty. You are their hero. You literally hold other people’s lives in your hands on a daily basis and succeed at the hardest job in the world. And these fleeting moments with your small children are so worth recording.
Here are some of my favorite mom and child captures over the last two years or so. And thank you to Clare Stephens for recording me with my gals, above. Happy Mother’s Day to all. Keep up the good yet seemingly impossible work. And thank you, Mom, for being an inspiration. XO
