Get In the Picture ~ A message from my office assistant, Rita

I have always wanted to write a blog, but I always feared I didn’t have enough interesting tidbits to make it a worthwhile read.  I often struggle to even come up with insightful Facebook statuses, so when Lisa asked me to guest blog about an article she shared, I was so excited to give it a try!

This post is being written not from the admiring perspective of Lisa’s office assistant who constantly gets to work with the beautiful images that you, her clients, have entrusted her to capture. (Although that is the part of the job I LOVE!)  Today I am writing as just a mom…a mom who feels most of the time that she would be an excellent candidate for the show “What Not to Wear”…a mom who is still carrying…ahem…a little “baby weight” from my 9 and 5 year old.  A mom who loves to chronolog her kids’ fleeting childhoods in pictures so much so that she has gained the nickname “Mamarazzi”. A mom who isn’t in nearly as many photos with her kids as her husband is.

A mom who experienced an epiphany the other night…

Most times the internet is a huge time-waster for me.  What starts out as a quick look at my email often turns into a hour of perusing old 80’s music videos.  During one of my Facebook browsing sessions, I happened upon a blog Lisa shared on her page that changed my perspective on something so deeply, so profoundly that I even called up friends from out of town that night to read it.  It was my Oprah “a-ha” moment, and it felt like it was written just to me.  THAT is why I love the internet.  It was an honest account from a mom who avoided being in photographs with her children because she never felt like she looked presentable enough for the camera.  We’ve all been there. We spend all of our energy making sure our munchkins look their best, and our appearance is sacrificed.  It’s easier to take the photos of the kids by themselves because you know chances are pretty good that the photo will turn out well.  It saves us the trouble of scanning through hundreds of photos to find the ones where our double chins aren’t as obvious, and our arms don’t look too fat.   But, reading this article showed me that those imperfections are what make us the mommies that our little ones adore and admire. Those soft midsections, and cozy laps are where they will remember feeling safe and loved. In our family, as I suspect it is in many families, moms are the main photographer.  Well ladies, it’s time for us to get in the picture. When our children are grown, and we are gone, those photos will tell our love story.  So, please take a moment to read this blog post and the next time a photo opportunity presents itself, seize it.  Embrace it.  Get in the picture.  ❤

Allison Tate: The Mom Stays in the Picture

P.S.  Stay tuned for some upcoming family portraits of me heeding my own advice!  🙂