It's hard for a mom to send her child to school for the first time. But some really special moments come out of the preschool experience, such as precious handmade crafts, holiday performances, and events like "muffins with mom." And, of course, every parent wants to commemorate those sweet, innocent days with a school photo to hang in their home proudly.
To be sure the school pic will be something to cherish forever, you pick out a darling outfit, place every hair on your child's head just right, and even practice the perfect picture day smile. What could go wrong? In one New York mom's case, every darn thing you could imagine, and it's absolutely hilarious!
It all started out great.
New York mom Nicole Bartlett got her 3-year-old daughter, Alina, ready for her school picture in a sweet pink dress and brushed her long blonde locks, topped off with a headband. Bartlett told People that this was her daughter's first school photo, and she wanted it to be special.
"It was her first picture day. I got her up a little early and explained to her it was a special day, you get a little bit of hairspray and hair gel," Bartlett said. "I had really, really high hopes. I usually let her wear her hair up for school just to keep it out of her face and everything. But for picture day, I wanted it down."
She explained that the pictures were scheduled for 9:30 a.m., which meant that Alina would hop off the bus, have a quick breakfast, and smile for the camera. But "that is not what happened."
Something went awry at school.
Bartlett shared two photos of Alina. The before shot of the toddler shows her striking a pose with her hands on her face, cheesing it up for the camera. Then Bartlett treats us to a view of Alina's photo proof, and lord, this girl looks like she's been through some stuff.
Despite the giant smile on her face, her hair has turned into a mane that would rival Mufasa's. Somewhere between getting off that bus and smiling brightly for the camera, Alina got crazy. Bartlett isn't sure, but she thinks she knows what happened.
"I think that when she got to school, I think she played extra hard," she said. "I'm just glad she smiled, to be honest," she told People.
Bartlett was understandably shocked when she saw the pics for the first time a few weeks after picture day.
Of course, Bartlett was excited to see Alina's first school photos. What mom wouldn't be? She said she planned to share them with her family at Christmas, but she couldn't believe her eyes when she got the order form with proofs.
"When I opened her backpack and saw the order form with the options for the pictures, all four of them pretty much looked the same. I laughed, but I was a little upset," she admitted.
At first, she thought about retakes, but her mom talked her off the ledge and pointed out that it's preschool and that doesn't have retakes.
Friends encouraged her to share the snap.
Alina showed the proof to friends and family, and they told her the world needed to see Alina's hysterical photo, which she later shared on social media.
"I had a couple of people message me and say, 'Post this. It'll go viral.' And I was like, I don't know, I'm not a big social media person," she said via People. "I ended up doing it, and it instantly hit."
At the end of the day, Bartlett realized that the photo was really funny and would be an excellent keepsake for Alina to have later in life. She may even show it on her wedding day. "So we ended up ordering a huge package, and everyone is still getting their framed picture," the mom said.
Alina's hair-rising picture went viral.
The before and after photos were initially shared on Instagram October 2022 and quickly went viral. Followers were in stitches looking at the images.
"Lmfaoooo I am doing everything in my power to not bust out laughing in my office cubicle right now. Lord help me. ," someone wrote.
"They caught your daughter's true essence and to me that is better than a stiff posed child. Their inner light and beauty comes out when they are natural," another person shared.
A woman who claimed to be the photographer assured naysayers that the photo was real.
"I was the photographer who took this photo ♀️ ♀️ ♀️. My supervisor just sent me this article. Your daughter was VERY excited and jumping up and down. That is why her hair looks like that. I can assure you it is not photoshopped. Lol. As a preschool photographer, we get some doozies and I wish we had more time with each child but it's just semi controlled chaos " she explained.
Momma, thanks for sharing Alina's pics. They are amazing. We can't wait to see what she comes up with next year.
