image by danny
this is me, sitting where i so often sit, doing what i so often do. out of no where a few weeks ago i came upon the photo above that my five-year-old had taken of me. he’s a boy after my own heart, documenting the every day life around him. this image however really struck a cord. i look at it and see a stressed out, hard working, mama of two. my body language, facial expression – it tells the tale of someone who is just plain tired. what my danny saw was his mom, doing what she often does during a typical day, and in taking that photo he showed me something painful, but necessary.
i think sometimes it takes simply seeing a photo from the other side, for me to realize something so important… as i sit at my mac proofing photos, networking, doing back-end work for my other blog – my family sits nearby, and time continues to pass. my husband works, plays with our kids, watches tv. the boys build blocks and play star wars, we have dinner and we run errands, we go to the gym. am i being present for them like i should? am i keeping them priority in this day and age where we can’t go anywhere without being readily available, whether it is via iphone, facebook, email, twitter?
i can’t answer that honestly and with pride. this image brings me back. it haunts me really, and in posting it along with what’s on my heart, i hope it serves as a reminder. i don’t want my kids to grow up remembering mom sitting just like this. i want them to have wonderful memories of a mom not only blogged about them, but lived and loved and made them feel like they could do anything they wanted.
so it is with this photo that i embrace our new routine, work harder at keeping my work hours just that, and smile warmly at my messy-haired, hungry little boys as they awaken in the morning. don’t worry, i’m not going anywhere. just aiming for a new image from the other side. i’ll share soon : )
by angie
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