she knows i love her – the importance of photographing your children

i get a lot of grief from my kids and my husband (and even some of my friends) over my seemingly endless clicking of the shutter. but i don’t let it get to me.

i’ve read articles that claim decorating with family photos can help boost a child’s self esteem. some say placing family photos in your home subconsciously increases feelings of belonging, connectedness and importance. and i believe that it’s true.

yesterday our youngest daughter turned nine. i blogged about her birthday and shared some of my favorite pictures from the last nine years on our family blog. lucee’s life has been filled with so many amazing moments i hope i will never forget. and thanks to the thousands and thousands of photos i’ve taken i’m able to share some of those moments with her. as i was tucking her in last night i grabbed the ipad and showed her the post.

i figured she’d get a kick out of seeing all those pictures together in one place but as she scrolled down reviewing each set of pictures she began to cry. those tears quickly turned to a full on sob. i lifted her sweet little dimpled chin and asked why she was so sad. she said, “i’m not sad, mama. i just really love all of these pictures and i know how much you love me.”

and then my heart exploded. is this kid amazing or what?

if i am moved to document something or someone it’s because i care. and at only nine years old lucee has already made that connection. seeing these photographs, she knows she is important to me. she knows she is loved.

documenting your family life, both on your own and with the help of a professional photographer shows your children the same – they are important…they are loved.

so pick up your camera (or your phone to call your family photographer) and start snapping. show your family you love them enough to document their lives. i promise you they’ll see that.

and happy birthday to my sweet, sensitive, beloved lucee olivia. i love you, lu!