My children, now four and six, love to do this thing every now and then with my phone. Often we’ll be in the car, my husband driving, and I in the passenger seat, and inevitably they’ll peek over my shoulder and see my “photo widget” that often features past photos.
If they see themselves or their sibling they go crazy. Mom! Is that the time we went on the ferris wheel? Is that the time we went to the lake? Is that the tooth I lost?! Or any number of other memories I chose to record on my phone that pop up.
To me, it’s endearing that they want to look at themselves and relive those memories…to ask questions and watch themselves in photos and videos. When we celebrate a milestone, or go to a new restaurant, or visit a long awaited vacation destination— we often take pictures. To remember.
We are a remembering species.
Photos are a beautiful way to remember the the road we’ve traveled, and savor the present with gratitude.
Photos are more than decor. In our home they mean much more.
They are a tangible way for children to see that they BELONG. That they are important enough to frame and to show others.
I came across a quote the other day by an anonymous photographer, they said— “In the home, photos are more than decor; they are visual love letters that communicate a child’s importance and their family’s history.”
When you walk around your house and look at your family’s pictures, what stands out to you most? Is it the location? The outfits? Or is it the people in them? Maybe, this year, try to see your photographs differently— as messages to your future selves. A love letter of gratitude.
We can talk up and down about aesthetic, but the truth is, aesthetic is for adults. Most children don’t care about their outfit— they care about being included and what that means for them deep down.
When you go to take photographs this year as a family, may I invite you to see the occasion in a new light— that one day your children will walk the halls of your home barefoot and look at their family and know that they belong, that they are surrounded by love, and that they have a team supporting them as they grow.
Let your pictures be love letters, nothing less.
Photos below are images from this past spring’s wildflower minis! If you are holding out for spring pictures— may I suggest a wildflower mini?! These minis will go live shortly after the start of the year in 2025!!
