"Boy moms" often talk about what a unique experience it is to raise a group of same-gendered kids. In reality, it's as messy and chaotic as it is fun and rewarding. Sometimes, though, we aren't always super honest about the more candid moments. We often like to present the image of our "picture-perfect" boys, completely clean, hair always combed, and beautifully well-behaved. Wanting to be as authentic as possible, one photographer mom has captured what life is really like as a #boymom, and it's so damn relatable.
Photographer and boy mom extraordinaire Sara Easter says she didn't really set out to make a make a statement with her photos.
Instead, she wanted to capture her family's day-to-day lives in the most candid way possible. "I specialize in documentary family photography and shoot real-life, candid sessions for clients all the time," she tells CafeMom. "This is just me documenting my own family in the same way. These photos are what our life together actually looks like."
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But the resulting photo project ended up giving the world a glimpse of what it's actually like to raise three boys. For Easter, that means being open to capturing her boys exactly how they actually are, whether they're giving each other some much-needed c
... or peeing off the side of a cliff.
Even the most "socially unacceptable" boy behavior can make for a pretty amazing photo op.
The mom's photos are always real and genuine, just like her sons.
"They are constantly moving, they are loud and often rough," says Easter. "But they are also incredibly sweet and caring."
All of Easter's photos are 100 percent candid.
If she sees one of her boys half-naked, wearing a Stormtrooper mask, and commanding an army of toy dinosaurs, that's when she knows it's time to break out the camera.
It's pretty clear that Easter's sons are having some amazing childhood experiences.
The mom describes her sons as being thoughtful, kind, brave, creative, "and of course a little mischievous." And their photographed antics make her descriptions come to life.
For any mom raising boys, these pictures are relatable in the best way.
Especially for those of us who can't even get through a trip to Target without our boys getting into something they probably shouldn't.
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Easter wants to show the reality of her boys' childhood for other parents and for her sons.
The moments they were happy, the times they fought, even the instances they had to be hosed off in the backyard — all of them are meaningful. "I hope they will bring back good, emotional, and important memories," Easter says.
The mom wants her boys to look back and see themselves the way she sees them now. "They are wild, adventurous, funny, silly, caring, smart, kind, loving, and loved. I hope that long after I am gone they can look through photos I took of them and it will be obvious how much I love them exactly how they are."
As for the rest of us, Easter wants us to be completely unafraid of embracing our boys' childhoods in all of their weird, messy glory. Being a #boymom is definitely something to be proud of, even if it does drive you crazy sometimes.
You can keep up with Sara Easter's photography on her official website, on her Facebook page, and on Instagram.
