You love seeing photos of your kids. You love seeing photos of your family – until you see yourself.

I hear it all the time. “I love everything about the photo… except for me.”

You see the dark circles under your eyes.

You see the last 10 pounds of baby weight you’ve been meaning to lose.

You see the clothes you’ve been meaning to replace.

You see your hair piled on top of your head because you haven’t had a haircut in months.

 

 

But here’s a little secret.

 

That’s not what your kids see.

 

They see the mom who gets them back to sleep night after night.

They see the mom who snuggles in bed with them with they have bad dreams.

They see familiar clothes that remind them of you.

They see the hair they play with when they can’t fall asleep.

They see you, mom. In all your glory.

 

I know it’s tempting to be the person behind the camera. (Hello, I am a photographer!)

 

But you have to be in front of it too.

 

There are so many reasons why.

 

When you look back at this time in your life, you’ll want to remember what you looked like. (Trust me, you’ll think you look amazing. Remember when you thought you were “fat” in high school?)

 

When your kids look at pictures from this time in their lives, they’ll want to see you.

 

But on top of that, your kids are watching you. If you’re hiding from the camera, they’ll wonder why. And maybe even think they should hide too.

 

It’s time for us all to step in front of that camera and own our look.

 

You may not look how you used to – none of us do! Time affects us all, and mamas tend to take the brunt of it in those early years. Chronic sleep deprivation, too many leftover chicken nuggets, and greasy hair are no excuse.

 

That’s exactly why I recently shared this photo of me and my daughter on Instagram.  As I said in the caption, I could pick apart this photo of myself like crazy. I could point out all the flaws in myself that I wish were different. I could tuck it away in a file or a drawer and never let it see the light of day because of my smooshy arms or neck rolls.

Photo cred: Brittany Morgan

 

But it’s a photo of one of the happiest days I’ve had in my life. I was in Disney World (need I say more?!) splashing around with my daughter. Mamas, I know how paralyzing insecurities can be, but I beg you to please let yourself be photographed. I know you don’t love certain things about yourself, but I promise you that you’re beautiful, and your children absolutely agree.