On Being Photographed

Image by Erica Dietz

Being photographed was both easier and harder than I expected.

I suddenly was very aware of every soft bulge in my post-pregnancy body. I questioned if I would even want to remember how messy my child-run life feels. I declared we should renovate the kitchen first. (We didn’t.)

These were excuses, because really I was just feeling vulnerable, and I am not used to that. I had asked for honest photographs, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that mirror.

But of course she came, and we hung out, and it was FUN. It did take some time for me to let go of the pressure I put on myself to perform for the camera. But then my son scraped his knee and I was right to mom mode, and there I stayed until it was time to hug her goodbye. It was an incredibly relaxing experience.

Image by Erica Dietz

And then the pictures came. And I was reminded of all. the. reasons. 

My kids LOVE this body and this crazy life. They have such pure memories sprinkled all over our outdated kitchen and backyard and halls of our home. Why should my own self doubt get in the way of their childhood memories?

In the pictures I saw myself through their eyes. I am a mama GODDESS. For this, my photos are such a gift, a reminder to be kind to myself. I am raising tiny humans. Life gets messy and that’s not just okay- it’s beautiful.

My kids pull their albums off the shelf every day. They love their life, and this printed proof of their parent’s love is a powerful legacy. I am grateful for it.

Image by Mary Beth Miller

(and you better believe we did it again the next year!)

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