With the Big Kids
As families get older...kids mature...they are too big to "throw in the air" or "butterfly kiss" on the cheek...they are slowly becoming adults and we move into this whole new arena of parenting...
I'll be honest that it scares me just a tad...we are on the precipice of this change...my eldest will be heading to high school in just one more year and my youngest is already starting to catch up in height with my middle daughter...
All the "cutesy" pictures of times gone by just don't cut it anymore...I'm not saying that they don't like to act silly or "bust a move" during the unexpected...but, they are coming into "their own" and therefore, they are balancing between the "adult" into which they will become and the "child" that they are, in essence, leaving behind...
I think as parents, we sometimes struggle during this time period...especially as it comes to documenting life...Sure, we get the prom pics or the action shots in sports...but, we don't take pictures of them working at the table any longer on homework, or snap a shot of their new shoes or them even texting a friend...we deem it either insignificant OR I suppose we just don't want to bother with something that doesn't seem all that important right now...
At the risk of getting too emotional or "deep"...let me tell you that my sister was a teenager when she went home to be with Jesus...Can I tell you how much I wish I had pictures of her doing her hair, or reading on the couch, or helping in the kitchen?? Even as a TEENAGER...those are the everyday moments that I missed out on...No, it wasn't cutesy and probably wouldn't have made a frameworthy or instagram hashtag fun pic...but, it would have been HER!
If I may encourage you...those with older children...never stop taking pictures! Your family is molding and changing...go with that flow...continue to get out of the box of only the cheesy smiles and look for their evolution into adulthood...
This family values that...I was beyond thrilled to meet these 3 older sons...we weren't going to put them in baskets and prop them up on their hands to their cheeks...it's wasn't a cuddle fest or a throw them in the air kind of a session...but it was THEM!
I love that mom put value on getting the family together for pictures! She's got her act together running a household of all boys...but the respect and honor that she receives is evidence that they've done a great job with these young men! It was a fun session of just "hanging out" as my teenager will now say...