MEMO
DATE: FEBRUARY 9, 2020
TO: MOTHERS OF ALL AGES
FROM: A NEW MOTHER
SUBJECT: A REMINDER TO ALL MOMS TO TAKE PHOTOS ALONE
I am writing to inform you that it is okay to take pictures alone sometimes. In fact, I highly encourage you to do so! If you’re anything like me, your camera roll is probably full of portrait photos of your little one playing or making a mess while eating. When you scroll through your photos you might find the occasional family photo, but it is rare to find a photo of yourself completely alone.
Now that you’re a mother, you probably feel like every photo you take should be of you and your baby, or just your baby. You no longer even think to take a photo by yourself as it seems selfish to you. Why would you take a photo without your precious child? It just seems self-centered, right? Wrong! You absolutely deserve photos of yourself. When you’re 80 years old, I promise you’re going to wish you had more photos to show off to your grandchildren of how you looked when you were a hot mama. Those family photos with your small child spazzing out and flailing their arms everywhere just aren’t going to cut it. You need to take pictures of yourself alone.
I promise you, it’s not selfish. Before you had a baby or even a partner, I’m sure you used to take plenty of selfies alone. Just because you have a family now doesn’t mean your identity apart from them no longer exists. You are your own person and can still take pictures alone. It builds so much confidence in doing so! You don’t have to worry about getting your little one to smile or making sure your partner’s outfit matches your own. This is solely your time to shine.
So next time you feel pretty, whip out your phone and hand it over to your partner to take a photo of you! And please don’t feel compelled to only do this when you have a full face of makeup. We need more pictures of ourselves in our everyday habitat. Whether you’re cooking a nice meal or gardening outside, take a picture. These are the photos our children will have left of us when we’re gone, so let’s make them memorable. After all, our kids aren’t going to care that we’re not wearing mascara or bronzer.
And I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but divorces do happen. I hope and truly believe that my husband and I will stay together forever, but things do happen. My parents finalized their divorce when I was in the 1st grade. It’s sad but both parties have moved on since then and are happily remarried. But it really is unfortunate that the few photos my mother has of herself during this time period are of her with someone she no longer loves. Yes, I know my mother would not have me if it weren’t for my father, but I still think she probably has some feelings of regret when looking through these photos. We all deserve to have solo photos that we can look through happily, because you never know what can happen.
I used to hate taking pictures after my son was born because I could no longer fit into my size 2 skinny jeans or wear my favorite tops. I felt like a hot mess because I put on weight after birthing my son. But in reality, I never once lost my beauty. If anything, I am now even more beautiful in the eyes of my husband because I gave him the greatest gift of all, a child. Now that I’ve regained some confidence, I feel empowered when taking photos alone. My husband is now my personal photographer and it’s great. I no longer have to rely on a stranger to take blurry photos of my family when we’re out and about. If I want a solid, good photo, I can just take one alone.
But of course, don’t forget your family photos from time to time, because they are just as precious. Documenting your child’s youth through photos is so much more than being glued to your phone. It is creating physical memories that future generations will hold onto. So keep doing what you’re doing, just make sure you give yourself a little love too. I know you’ll be glad you did when you’re much older!