As moms, we tend to see ourselves in a harsh light. Even when we're trying our best, we never quite feel like our best is good enough. The good news? Our kids see us in a different way. But don't just take our word for it … if a mom ever takes a peek at the photos of herself that her child took on her phone or with a little toy camera, she will see that these pictures are sweet, kind, and truly, truly hilarious. We found some of our favorite photos that show exactly how kids see their mamas.
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We decided to ask moms if they have ever seen a photo of themselves through their kids' eyes … and the response was overwhelming! Not only do these moms have photos their kids have taken of them, but those photos tend to be some of their favorite pictures of themselves because they offer a different, kinder view. Kids always are a little softer on us than we are on ourselves, which is a good reminder of how we should try and see ourselves when we look in the mirror. They love us as we are — and then some. Kids always see the best in their mother.
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Read on to see some of our favorite photos that kids have taken of their beautiful mamas. They make us laugh, cry, and feel really, really grateful to have these little critters in our lives!
She Did It!
Tracy Swendsen's 13-year-old daughter took this as she ran over the finish line in her first 5K after weight loss surgery. Her favorite part of the photo? "The fact that she stood at the finish line cheering me on, in a misty rain, for over 40 minutes."
"My daughter has been my biggest supporter since I started my journey to lose weight!” she adds.
Like a Mother
"A few years ago, we bought my 4-year-old daughter a Playskool camera, and she went around documenting her life, including taking photos of me breastfeeding her baby brother," Teresa Wong says. "Although they are blurry, I treasure them because they are the only photos I have of myself nursing. I don't always see myself as the maternal type, but her photos make me feel like a mother."
Mama's Gone Loony!
Jill Bertot's 7-year-old son took this photo while they were "play dancing."
She says: "I love that when he took them he was smiling from the tip of his toes to the top of his head! He was so filled with joy and laughter. And all I had to do was be a goof. This is the norm in our house. We're a bunch of loonies!"
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Just a Little Blur
"This was taken by my 6-year-old," Alyce Gomstyn says. "Pictured are me and my then 3- (now 4-) year-old. I love it because we both look so happy and the fact that the picture is blurry, I think, actually has a flattering effect!"
Gotcha!
Erin Mast's 13-year-old took this shot of her looking back at him on the sly. "I love that he caught me not posed, just reacting to him," she says. "So often, pictures are fake, but not when you give Carter a camera."
Mommy Can See Her Nose!
Whitney Coy's 5-year-old took this shot of her being silly. "I love it because it's a picture of the me that pretty much only they know," she says.
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Pile on Mom
"My daughter took this when she was probably 8 and half, judging on the size of the baby, who incidentally is nursing and asleep!" says Monica Beyer.
Hand in Hand
Amy Kay's 13-year-old snapped this shot, which became her Facebook profile image. "It's such a relief to know my children are happy with the man in my life," she says.
Let's Selfie
Cassandra Egan's little girl wanted a selfie with mama, and she took control!
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First Look
Sandra Hook's 13-year-old son caught this image of his mom and stepdad's "first look" before their wedding on his DS camera. It's one of her favorite shots of the entire ceremony, even (or especially!) with his finger blur.
Hard at Work
Part selfie, part portrait: CafeMom editor April Daniels Hussar's daughter caught this one of Mom hard at work during spring break. "I feel like she has seen this view so often!" April says with a laugh. "Looking at this photo makes me smile, but it also makes me feel a little guilty. I'm pretty sure though that not long after Isabella took this, we went out to do something fun. So, not too guilty!"
Hey There
Katie Yanamaka's 7-year-old caught this picture of her mom. "My dad had given her a real point-and-shoot camera, and she brought it with her," she says. "We were on the ferry boat to the San Juan Islands and she was snapping away and got a great shot of her brothers at eye level and then this one of me and my husband. It was one of the first real photos she took herself, and I think it captured that moment perfectly. Just happiness!"
Mom and Dad
Even with the French fry photo bomb from her daughter (hence the yellow stripe), Julie Ryan Evans says this photo her 13-year-old son snapped at a restaurant took an ordinary dinner out with the family that she might not have ever remembered and made it one she'll always laugh about, thanks to the photo memory. "It's those funny little things that happen that make up your family history, and it's nice when someone captures them, especially your child," she says.
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A Little Light
Silvia's 9-year-old caught this photo of her when she wasn't looking, but it's one of her favorites.
"I love the light and that he caught me in a moment when I was seriously thinking about something," she says. "I was lost in thought, and I wonder why he thought that would be a good time to take it."
At Peace
"The majority of the photos that my spirited, strong-willed, goofy little girl takes consist of parts of my body: an un-pedicured foot, my hands while making breakfast, a blurry 'woosh' of me moving across space," says Debora Galassi. But this one taken by her 4-year-old is a little different, and it's why Galassi loves it.
"What I love about this photo, though, is that she captured my stillness, my being in the moment, my being at peace within myself and with the world around me. I guess I love it mostly because she was able to capture my feelings. I was looking at her while she was snapping photos of a doorknob, of a flower printed on the rug, of one of the cat's ears. I was amused and amazed by her curiosity and capacity of finding joy and pleasure in everything around her. Proud, in a way! Then she pointed the camera (phone) at me, and in a fraction of a second I was at the same time part of that beautiful and interesting world that surrounded her, but also a sort of a mirror, a steady anchor for her in the middle of it all. And it makes me happy she was able to see and capture that joy."
