Here’s What I want My Daughter to Remember Most
Once again Beryl helps me realize that there’s a deeper purpose to this memory keeping we do with our cameras. I’m an affiliate in Beryl’s courses, and I learn a lot from her. ~Alissa
The Truth of Why We Photograph – By Beryl Ayn Young
How does your first memory feel? Dig deep; searching for that moment in that’s forever etched on your heart. Is it bright, loving, and inviting you back to a place of childhood ease and magic? Or is it a bit darker, containing a slice of anger, pain or regret?
Memories hold power. They’re portals back to our rawest emotions and imagination. They shape our personalities and lead us to wisdom about the people we were and the ones we hope to become.
No matter if the recollections you hold are good or bad, they’re there to guide you as you curate the memories that will remain with your children the rest of their lives.
Lately I’ve been wondering what my 4 year will grasp and cling to as her first memory of childhood. She’s at that age where I know she’s aware of more and there are those moments that I hope she’s capturing and filing away in her heart.
Like the impromtu kitchen dance parties, where we all (dog included) galloped around the house to ‘Everything is Awesome’.
Or the rainy afternoon where I shared my ‘special stash’ of markers, stickers, and glue so we could create a masterpiece together.
The daily bedtime rituals snuggling in bed and reading story after story, and the way she lovingly gazes at her daddy as he helps build legos towers, blocks cities, and blanket forts.
I know her memories are starting to be filed away, but my guess is they’ll likely appear later on in life as disorganized fragments in her adult mind – I know because my own memories are quickly becoming more and more clouded over by the haze, exhaustion, and fast pace of motherhood.
It’s why I’m so grateful we have photos. I take pictures to help fill in the blank spaces for us both.
I want my daughter to see the way her hair fell into her eyes day after day, and how she swept it off her face in place of allowing me to clip or ponytail it back instead.
I want her to see the smile that lit up any room each time she let out one of her contagious belly laughs.
I want her to see into the heart of her creative imagination as she embarked upon adventure after adventure with her many toys and stuffed animals.
My daughter’s first memory may not be one of these shining bright stars that I will hold dear from her childhood. She might remember that time out she had to take a timeout in the grocery store, or that time I yelled at her for talking back to me, or the time I locked her toys away during a tantrum (and believe it or not some of those moments are captured by the camera, but many of them are not.)
Life isn’t perfect and her memories won’t be either.
But when my daughter gets that flash of a first memory whether it be good or bad, I want to have the photos on hand that will allow her to see a girl who is respected, cherished, and cared for by her family. This is what I want her to remember most.
Your memories don’t have to be perfect, but shouldn’t they be captured in a way that opens the door to deeper and richer conversation, connection, and guidance?
That’s the real truth of why we photograph.
To show we matter, we have a purpose, and we are loved.
What loving memories can you capture today?
If you’d love some new tips, tricks, and techniques for capturing your family memories, both big and small I’d love for you to join me for a free week long online photography class called ‘One Ingredient Fix’. In this guided class, I’ll share key ingredient moms and dads should add into their photo taking recipe books (no matter what camera you’re using) to capture your perfectly imperfect moments.
Get yourself registered right HERE right now.
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I really liked your article and most of the photographer here. The picture of mother and daughter with the menorah was really touching for me in a way that I can’t quite describe. It is hard to imagine life, and our ability to remember the good times, without the option of preserving it via photography and home made movies. https://www.abcschoolphoto.com/gallery/making-picture-day-a-success.html
OH – just noticed she put 2014, lol, I’ll email her to let her know she’s got the wrong year in there.
Elise Amabel – if you click on the link to the class isn’t it taking you to a page where you can enter your email? On the right hand side of the page under “join me for a free mini class”, if you send your email she’ll register you if you do that.