Dear Mom,
I see you at the grocery store having a battle with your toddler over wanting the sugar-filled, cartoon mascot, not healthy no matter how many whole grains are in it, cereal. Somedays it’s not worth the battle. And some you end up with a massive, embarrassing tantrum for the entire store to hear.
I see you in the line at the drive-thru grabbing a quick dinner for your family. Is it what you want? No. You want nothing more than to cook dinner and sit down with them at the table and hear about their days. But between long nights at work and evening activities, just getting the whole family fed is a win.
I see all the hats you have to wear – mom, partner, career-woman – and with all the different hats comes the guilt. You get the dreaded mom-guilt missing out time with your family when you go to work. You feel like you let your boss down every time your kid is sick and you can’t go to work. You are still madly in love with your husband and you feel like you are always neglecting that relationship.
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I see you secretly looking forward to bedtime. This is YOUR time. You look forward to mindlessly scrolling through your Facebook feed for a few minutes, watching your guilty pleasure shows without judgment, and for a little bit, feel like yourself.
I see the stress and tension slowly melt away as you sit next to your husband, both venting about your days. Some nights, all you need is to simply be next to each other in silence, each doing your own thing, but it’s still your favorite part of the day because you get to be together.
I see how you live for the weekends. Lazy Saturdays with music and laughter filling the house making way for the most epic dance party ever. You watch as your husband plays with your kids welling up with happiness and falling deeper in love. You are reminded he is your best friend, your rock, your go-to person.
I see you with your kids. You take snuggles at any chance you get. You steal kisses as they run by. You study every curl, soak up every gut-busting laugh, and memorize every detail of their face. Your love for them is endless and it grows each and every day.
I see you as you wish time would slow down with flashes of memories going through your mind. You remember them all cuddled up on your chest as you breathed in their newborn smell. You remember the piggyback rides and the toothless grins that are now long gone. They’re only little for so long. Time is fleeting and you’re grasping onto every moment you have.
I see you scrolling my website, loving every picture, wishing you had gorgeous family pictures like that of your own, but you keep putting it off. All the reasons why now is not the time flood your inner voice. You still haven’t lost the weight. You’ll never convince your husband. You honestly don’t want to stress about it. And let’s face it, you could spend the money on other things your family needs.
But then I see the regret you’ll have missing out on these moments. Time fades those memories. The little voice that tells you that you’ll always remember is wrong! I don’t know how to turn back time, but I do know that pictures are the closest thing we have to freezing time. Freeze the little things that you want to remember. Have pictures that you can look back to and be reminded of the things you want to hold on to.
I know in 5 years – 20 years – looking back at these pictures, you’re going to remember the laughs, the snuggles, the sadness of the time passed. You won’t be focused on the “flaws” and neither will your family. The most important thing you’ll see is the genuine happiness and overwhelming love you have for your family. Don’t let your excuses stop you from getting your session scheduled. The cost of missing out of the moments will always be greater than what you spend to get them taken.
