I don’t have many pictures of myself with my kids. Which seems ironic, given that I’m married to a professional photographer… The geekdaddy takes lovely pictures of the kids, and I take loads of snapshots of them with my iPhone, but we don’t have many pictures of us with them. In fact we do not possess a single photo of all four of us as a family. Something I really want to rectify as soon as possible.
One of my Facebook friends recently shared a link to a Flickr photo group called Aleida’s Challenge, and reading the description of the group really made me think about my attitude to photography. The owner of the group recounts a conversation she had had with a scrapbooker named Aleida, who explained that she made it her goal to post a picture of herself with her children once a month. She pointed out that as women we often come up with a number of excuses not to be in the photographs (I haven’t got my make up on, I haven’t done my hair, I haven’t got dressed yet etc.), but then asks if we ever look back at pictures of ourselves with our mothers and see anyone other than a beautiful, amazing woman? Of course we don’t. Our kids don’t care what we looked like, but they will look back very fondly of the photos of us together as they were growing up.
The story is all the more poignant when you learn that Aleida died suddenly and unexpectedly a few years ago. Now those pictures of her with her children will be even more precious to her family.
And so the creator of the Aleida’s Challenge group issues all mothers a very simple challenge. Take a picture of yourself with your kids once a month. If you want to you can share them with the Flickr group, or just keep them safe somewhere to look back on in the years to come.
I am guilty of hiding from the camera. I have a million excuses not to be photographed. But Aleida’s challenge struck a chord with me and so from now on I will be trying to be in more photos with my family. Starting right now.
Me and my kids
This is a photo I would not normally publish. I’m wearing my glasses, my hair is all over the place, and the geekdaughter hasn’t got dressed yet! But today I made myself look past all that, and you know what I see? Three happy smiling faces. That’s the kind of picture I want to leave for my kids.
What about you? Do you take pictures of yourself with your kids regularly? Has this blog post made you think about doing it a bit more? Will you rise to Aleida’s challenge?
This is something that I am now passionate about. I used hate having my photo taken i still do, but when my daughter passed away one of things that really struck me was that I had no photos of us together. It actually really upset me that I had maybe one or two of me holding her but loads of her dad, nan etc.
So now Im making a really effort to corm from behind the camera and be in photos with me children.
I love this concept and think its a great idea.
Thanks so much for your comment. I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. There is another very strong reason for me to make sure I get loads of pictures of my family all together.
aw that’s a great idea. I like to hide behind the camera and always have, since I was a kid and could use my dad’s big heavy monster of a camera. The lens is my friend… when I’m behind it! Is that a photographer thing or am I just a daft woman?
One thing I do know is whenever I get a picture taken I’m constantly worried about my smile (years of wonky teeth makes you paranoid) and the fact I ALWAYS blink just as the picture is being taken and so I not only look like I have the worst fake smile in the world but I’m also half asleep. Curses!
The thing is those things always look much worse to us than to anyone else – we are our own worst critics. When Baby Al is bigger, he’ll just see his Mum who loves him!
Yep, I’m terrible for that too… something I need reminding of at times, so thank you! x
So glad this idea has resonated with others like it did me!
Oh so true! I hate having my photo taken and there are only a few with me and my children. So I am going to try this. On another note,recently I was asked for a picture of my mother and I and found the last photo I had of us both was on my wedding day 8 years ago. My mum is no longer with us so I can’t rectify this. So remember to take photos of yourself with everyone you love.
My Mum said to me after reading this post that the most recent picture she has of me and her is my wedding day which was 13 years ago! Thankfully she is still with us, so I am resolving to get some pictures of us together too. But I agree, you never know how long you’ve got people for, so make the most of them whilst you have them.
I just couldn’t agree more. I’m having a little weep here about this. It’s our daughter’s 3rd birthday on Friday and her party is tomorrow. I didn’t manage to pick up the drycleaning with the outfit that I want to wear in time, I didn’t manage to get my hair cut or my pedicure (we live in a hot country – always barefoot here!) and I’m up late cleaning before the guests arrive, so my lack of beauty sleep aka usual black circles is as usual.
But there’re no photos of me with my little girl on her 2nd birthday other than in the background of other people’s poses. So tomorrow i’ll stick on a favourite Tshirt and beam for the cameras which I will commission to snap snap away. And I’ll aim for every 3rd of the month. Thank you for sharing this.
Hooray!
This post has really got me thinking. I rarely have any photos with my Daughter unless caught unawares & I think I’d definitely like to take this challenge on! The pic of you three is perfect – beautiful smiles & a really honest & warm shot, I love it 🙂
Glad to have got you thinking – the original Flickr group got me thinking so I was sure other people would feel the same way.
Good for you – and it’s a great picture, exactly what you describe as your children needing to see when they are older. I am also guilty of being the one behind the lens, and I must stop it! Luckily a close friend is a professional family photographer and gives me a shoot as a birthday present every year, so at least we get that 🙂
My husband has up until now been very resistant of going to a professional photographer, because he doesn’t see why we should pay for something he could do for free. But the point is he doesn’t actually DO it, so I think I’ve now started to get him to come around the idea of us all going to a studio for a proper portrait. Fingers crossed!
Wow your blog post really has me thinking too, thank you so much! I take loads of pics of my hubby with the kids with my old point-and-shoot camera, but he of the mighty canon camera never takes any photos (perhaps I should hijack his camera…if I could figure it out!)
It seems so many of us are in the same boat!
I recently had to send a picture into work of me and the children, and we only have one!! It is not the best picture, but is the only one we had! I had told myself I needed to do something about this as soon as possible and reading this has highlighted this even more to me! It is now my mission to get regular photos of us as a family, together! We don’t have one photo of the five of us…….how bad is that?!!
Lovely post, I will certainaly be trying to rise to the challenge too! 🙂
I know the feeling – I really have very few of me with the kids. Good luck with the challenge!
I found this a very thought-provoking post. I’ve persuaded H that we need more photos of us with our son. You can see a photo of me and Aled on my blog today, and I hope there will be more to follow. We will have to find someone else to take a photo of all three of us though, perhaps even a professional photographer.
I like your blog and I’m going to start doing this much more. Sadly my mother-in-law has just passed away and we have been looking for a nice photo of her, off the many photo, I still have on my computer. Now I’m going to display many photos around my home. Like us all, I’m very proud of my family and I should let them know more.
I’ve just read this via a round up on Parentdish (massive congrats on being a Finalist (you have my vote, of course!)
This is a subject that I’ve thought about a lot in the past but still never did anything about it! Your post has really made me think, and Aleidas blog/Flickr has opened my eyes… wide. Life is incredibly short after all. I know how precious photos are of my Grandmother. I wouldn’t want my children to look back and say, ‘you know.. we don’t have one photo of us with Mum’. I’d hate that.
Thanks so much for the post xx