#ProofMommyWasThere

#ProofMommyWasThere

I’ve been inspired.

I had a conversation with my friend, Adriana. She’s a mom and a photographer. The first time we met, we talked about our children. That conversation evolved into one about pictures of our children and pictures of us, as mothers. I’d like to think that our conversation helped to inspire her totally SPOT ON post convicting mothers to Exist in Photographs, but I’m pretty sure she had that in mind ages before we spoke. Well, I’ve been convicted and I’m going to try to convict you, too.

When I think about all of those pictures that my mother stepped out of just in time – where I’m this cute kid, alone, in my awesome 80’s Easter dress, I wince. My mother stood on the side or behind the camera because she wasn’t happy with herself. She actively avoided her rightful place in our documented family history all because she wasn’t perfect in her own sight. I DON’T HAVE PICTURES OF MY MOTHER DURING THAT TIME BECAUSE THEY DON’T EXIST. Time just kept going; there was no second chance.

Geez, what a lesson.

I don’t want to pass along the notion that real isn’t beautiful or worthy of remembering. I don’t want to disappear from the family history just because I enjoy being the historian. So here’s what I’m doing about it:

I’m existing in the photographs. And I’m hashtagging it. I hope you will, too. C’mon, gals. #ProofMommyWasThere. Get on it.

Now, I take a lot of pictures of my children. I love it. Out of those many, many pictures, I get some that I love. I’ve got to shoot a LOT of pictures to choose from to get that ONE.

For example, I had to take all these:

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To get this:

 The ONE

The ONE (and yes, that’s a princess dress)

I’m the one behind the camera. I can snap away, filling up the storage on my phone, watching the battery charge ebb away. I have fun editing the pictures into my little pieces of “art.” So, if you want to be in a picture that is that ONE, you’ve got to GET in a LOT of pictures. You need lots to choose from! So, step in the frame, mamas. I challenge you to have #ProofMommyWasThere.

Join me.
(Thanks, Adriana)

Are you constantly snapping photos of your little ones but rarely get in the photo yourself? Or do you make a conscious effort to jump in front of the camera too?

Kristen
Kristen is still in the middle of her love story. She and her best friend of four years gave in and finally decided to date. Two years later, she was engaged. Two years after that, she was married. She’ll celebrate her 17th wedding anniversary this May. Mom to Ellen (8) and James (5), she works full time in Human Resources outside of the home. Her children have taught her that motherhood is hard. And wonderful. And HARD. A proud alum of LSU and Johnson and Wales University, she also collects college degrees. (BS in Psychology, AS in Culinary Arts and BS in Culinary Nutrition). She’s lived in Baton Rouge a majority of her life, with sojourns in New Orleans, Charleston, SC and Providence, RI. The south is clearly home. Recovering from a nearly crippling case of adolescent insecurity, she is still the most likely to have the heel of her shoe caught in the hem of her pants.

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