I don't know how things are done in other parts of the country, but in the South we take lots of pictures of our kids. As a matter of fact, in recent years, women have taken to scripting, photographing and cataloging "Hallmark" moments at times as mundane as "FIRST LOAD OF LAUNDRY" (Insert photo of surly teen trying to block the view of his/her face with languid hair.) I blame social media for this. Completely. (Has nothing to do with me, er, my generation of housewives not having enough to do.) We've raised a generation of young adults who think everything they do is noteworthy. In addition to helping launch social media as a time-eating force to contend with, we have fueled our children's over-use of social media with the fires of the idolization of childhood. But I digress. It's time for the little kings and queens to move out and get on with getting rich and taking extra-good care of their fawning parents in old age.
I posted the above photo for a reason that had not one whit to do with social media or teen/young-adult self-absorption. I posted it because it captures a special moment in time, and perfectly crystallizes three personalities. My oldest son Matt, seen in the background, is smiling like the proverbial Chesire Cat. Of course he is! He's yanking a hunk of fun out of that kiddie ride at Lake Winnie in Chattanooga just like he went full-bore at everything else in childhood. He got his money's worth out of being a kid. The little one in dad's lap is Jonathan, my youngest (now 17). His fingers are in his mouth because, at a pretty young age, he looked at things for minute before diving in. He nibbled on the fringe at times. Dad looks serene and low-key because he has lived his entire fifty-four years like that. (Except when I run rampant at the mall, which has almost never happened.)
Taking lots of pictures is a great idea. I've done it (though my organization of said pictures is notoriously abhorrent) for twenty years. Every now and then I see one that makes me re-live the past and understand the present better. I love those. Deeply.
