Tuesday, September 3, 2013

We'll Have These Moments to Remember (We Just Won't Have Pictures)

      I had only been a mom  a few months when I acquired my first scrap booking kit.  It contained a one inch loose leaf notebook, plastic sleeves, paper and stickers. It was a great place to start chronicling the early events of our children's lives. Of course the original note book was outgrown quickly, eventually swelling to a 5 inch binder. It was about that time that I decided to start breaking things down by subject, so that I now have books for each child for grade school, middle school and high school, plus dance albums, baseball albums, birthday books, scouting scrapbooks and albums of vacation photos.

    As I looked back through these photos,  I discovered that although I took some great photos, and displayed them nicely, I wasn't having much luck getting those absolute never to be forgotten  moments, especially where the Boy was concerned. For example, it took me about 8 years of baseball to get a simple shot of a ball coming off the bat.

      And speaking of baseball, when he was in high school they got to play one game each season at the minor league ball park in our city.  One year I missed due to work. Twice the camera died before he ever got to back.  Finally this year,  his senior year, I got a decent shot.




      My track record at school ceremonies is even worse.

      When he "graduated" from the 5th grade, I videotaped the actual crossing the stage moment, which meant that this was as close as I got in the photo album:

He's in there somewhere, I promise.

      At his middle school recognition ceremony someone stood up to take a picture of their kid, who was right before my child so naturally I missed the big moment.  All I got was a picture of him walking away:


      At this point I began to feel that either my son or the camera gods were conspiring against me.

When High School graduation arrived the school announced that no photos were permitted. This was about as successful as a similar note about no applause.  We were seated in the back though, and this is the picture of the Boy getting his diploma.


At least no one stood up in front of me this time,
In general, I've had somewhat better luck with the Girl, here's the picture of her 8th grade recognition:
  The blur in the middle is the trophy they handed her.


Last week we took the Boy to college.  They had a lovely Matriculation ceremony, at which the kids were officially made students at the school.  They even had large video screens set up so we could see the kids as they went up to the stage, introduced themselves, and received school pins.
I actually got a picture of the Boy waiting his turn at the mic:



However when he actually got to the podium the guy in front of me leaned forward at just the wrong moment, leaving me with this picture of my son introducing himself to the world:
 
    

     Life goes by in a blur, especially where kids are concerned.  One of the reasons I scrapbook is to freeze some of those moments for later enjoyment. To stop and say "Oh look, how small/cute/silly/amazing that was". But some memories will just have to remain in our hearts and heads only and not on paper. But that's OK too. It's where they are supposed to be in the first place.



22 comments:

  1. Solid writing. Focused, moves with ease and the pacing enhanced my enjoyment. I never got into pictures. Words have always been my way to remember.

    Thanks for the read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you LaTonya. I have always loved both words and pictures.

      Delete
  2. This piece made me smile. Mine are much younger than yours and I already have a solid number of "failed to capture in photos" moments - and I'm sure I'll have many more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I was young my dad worked for a photo studio and he had portraits done of us on a regular basis. My youngest sister was born after he changed jobs and often complains that the only formal photo of her was taken at Kmart. On the other hand by the time she came along our parents had a Poloroid, and her Christmassses, EAsters, Halloweens, and so forth are thoroughly documented. She is jealous of me and I am jealous of her.

      Delete
  3. Glad I am not the only one who gets stuck with those kinds of pictures! So true, these events go by in a blur, and you illustrated that so well here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Part of the problem is that I play by the rules and don't stand up in the middle of the audience to take my kid's picture. Other people of course aren't so considerate. But I am glad to hear so many others have this issue too.

      Delete
  4. Such a good point. I used to focus more on the picture than the memory until I realized I was missing out. Now I rarely take pictures and just take time to enjoy and remember instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One time when my daughter was in the Christmas program (she was an angel, a surprise to anyone who knows her)I forgot the camera. I felt awful. But I took a picture when she got home, put it in the book with the program, and no one remembers when I took the picture, just that she was in the show. I need to remember this more often.

      Delete
  5. Life does go by in a blur, and like you, many of my pictures reflect that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that the boy is gone to college when it seems like yesterday he was in kindergarten, I really need the photos as proof it all happened.

      Delete
  6. I especially love your last paragraph. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like that last paragraph - life DOES go by in a blur, and I love the way the photos demonstrate this! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blurry photos are especially a fact of life with boys I suppose, girls stop to post a little more, at least when they are small.

      Delete
  8. Eeek! I didn't even do baby books! Good thing the hubs takes great photos and I have a lot of boxes to put them in :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The younger child's baby book has a bunch of gaps in it...I was too busy taking pictures....

      Delete
  9. There is something so endearing about that picture of the stranger's head.
    I really enjoyed the way you integrated the photos into this post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cynk. I know I'm the head in the back of someone else's photos too.

      Delete
  10. So true. Kevin is always telling me (and now, Max too) that I don't need to document everything because its all in "here" (they point at their heads). But I try anyway. ;) wonderful that you have scrapbooks. I haven't even done their baby books yet. I have piles of post it notes with firsts and funny quotes written on them. ;) so that's where I need work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Linda. I have gotten behind on the books in the past few years because the pictures are all on the computer. You should have seen the rush to finish off the Boy's high school scrapbook before Graduation. The truth is we do forget things, and looking through pictures helps bring those things back.

      Delete
  11. Your photos are hilarious! But I love the last paragraph. I don't take pictures much anymoe so I don't miss it "live".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm addicted to photos. Since I got a phone with a decent camera I no longer have an excuse for missing stuff, and for all the kids' complaints, there are a lot I didn't take and they know it.

      Delete