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My dad has albums upon albums upon albums, at least one for every year, from my birth until I was about eleven years old. Each album has at least 100 pages, all packed full of 4x6s, almost all shot with disposable cameras, and a few professional shots scattered in as well. There are quite a few of just me and my little sister, capturing our day to day lives as we grew. But at least half of all those photos, are photos that include my parents as well. Dad holding me up on his shoulders to see the band play better. Mom sitting on a bench at the park while she has a snack with my little sister. My parents took turns taking pictures, so they could make sure to show that they were there too. They were present in our lives every single day, and there is proof to show it. Until I was eleven. Then came those oh so fun tween and teenage years, where my day to day and their day to day started to drift apart, as I became my own independant person. My parents were still present of course, but for some reason, it became less important to capture these years. From my tween and teen years, there are no big thick albums filled with pages and pages of photographed memories. Just a small smattering of prints taken by friends as we goofed around, and the biannual spring/fall school portraits. There isn't much in the way of photos until my own son was born. I wish I had more to show my own children, as they move into their tween and teenage years. To show them that bad hair and pimples happen to us all. To show them that my parents did the same dorky stuff to me that I now do to them, like big smoochy kisses and silly faces. Our children grow up, so very fast, in today's world. And with lifespans getting longer, those 18 years we get with them, seems like such a shorter and shorter time. Why then are we so quick to put down the camera and stop capturing those memories? Why do we stop showing our presence once those double digit ages begin? Be present. Be in photos. Your children don't have to be adorable little babies and funny, fast moving toddlers for you to take photos with them. Your tweens and teens want those photos as well. They will value them more, both now, and when they have tweens and teens of their own. Don't make excuses. They do not care about the 13 year old baby weight you're still carrying around. They will not look at your smile and notice how awkward you think you look and feel. They will simply be glad to be able to look back and know that they were always loved, and you were always present. Book your session today, and be present. 
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