My son was about 11 months old when I was dropping him off at day care when his teacher stopped me.
"Can you do us a favor," she asked. I braced myself for some insane request. "Could you please send in a family photo? We need one for our family wall."
After I let out a relieved sigh, it struck me.
"I … actually can't. There's not one single picture of the three of us."
I sat in my car and started scrolling through my phone, convinced that couldn't be right. Surely someone took a photo of the three of us at some point?
There were plenty of pictures of my husband and son canoodled on the couch or playing on the floor. I also had plenty of selfies with me sweet boy, and there were a few selfies of us as a family, but almost all of them were blurry or someone's head was being cut off.
In the whole of my phone, there was not one photo of the three of us just living life.
No one took a photo of us at the hospital when they came to visit.
No one suggested we pose in front of a Christmas tree? Or snapped us together around the Thanksgiving table?
I can't necessarily blame anyone because heck, this is the first time I thought about it. While I'm a big believer that life is for living and not recording, my heart hurts just a little bit at the thought of how we'll never have a photo of the three of us when he was truly small.
And I know what you're thinking: "Why didn't you just ask?"
Honestly, because it wasn't on my mind. I was so worried about him eating, or changing him into a fresh diaper, or making sure he had enough sunblock, stopping to ask for a photo felt … burdensome. And while I did actually promptly book a photo session for the three of us, there is something to having someone capture you as a family in your natural habitat that's far more beautiful than a professional photo.
Grandparents, we know we're old news but the truth is, the story of our little family is just beginning.
No matter how tired she looks, or how frazzled he is, offer to take the picture. Then ask if its OK for you to hop in. If being a parent has taught me anything, it is that time is precious and moments are fleeting. They'll treasure having the photos to remember us by when we're long gone. And the truth is you have a role in making sure that legacy lives on.
So just take the picture.
I know I wish someone did that for our family when I was little. You'll make your children very happy if you make an effort to capture them with their babies. And this way, our memories can live on with them when we no longer can.
