My kids have banned me from taking pictures of them.

Actually, to clarify, my son is the one who banned me and my daughter, being the adores-her-older-brother-and-always-copies-him-much-to-his-dismay younger sibling, has followed suit. Even on our recent vacation, every time I pulled out my pink (thanks to hubby!) camera, one of them would yell out, “No taking pictures! You have to ask me first!” to which I would reply in a hopeful tone, “Can I take a picture?” The answer as you suspect was always “No!”

So what’s a mom to do??

I have loved taking photos of my munchkins from the moment they were born. I have pictures of them sleeping, eating, sitting, crying, laughing, scooting, running and even pooping on the potty (gotta capture all the firsts!) and just plain breathing. And now that they’re older, I love looking back at these photos and oohing and ahhing over every single one of them.

One of my favorite pics of big brother reading to little sister

So, why am I not allowed to take pictures anymore?? Simply because my son (who also has banned me from using his name in my “stories”) doesn’t like me showing them to our friends. You could say he isn’t a fan of social media. 😉 Truth be told, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want my mom taking pictures of me all the time and posting them on her Facebook either. 

This got me thinking though about why many parents have become their own children’s paparazzi? Why do we love capturing every moment of our kids’ lives on film? Why do we love sharing our kids’ pictures (and sometimes videos) with everyone we know? 

I think it’s because of these three reasons:

1. We are amazed at the journey. Posting pictures of our kids starts when they are still in the womb. Anyone who has seen an ultrasound before can attest to how incredible the whole journey from conception to birth is – somehow a baby who was smaller than the size of a kidney bean grows into a 6 or 7 pound (or sometimes more) screaming little person! And to watch them grow day by day, year by year can be surreal. I look at my kids now and wonder how in the world they ever fit inside me at one time. We know people like to share pictures of the amazing things they find, such as the 7 Wonders of the world; for parents, the biggest wonder of all is seeing their kids grow.

2. We are proud of what we’ve done. People in general want to talk about their accomplishments. We like to share about where we’ve gone, what we’ve done, even what we’ve eaten – that’s why there are so many food pictures on Instagram. 😉 Parents are doubly proud of their kids because they are cuter, smaller versions of themselves and fairly entertaining to watch. And raising kids requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears (I’m sure this phrase originated from a parent), which is why we have no qualms about showing off the fruits of our labor! 

3. We are thankful to be part of something bigger than ourselves. They say everything changes after having kids and they are right. Becoming a parent has changed my whole perspective on life. I am more grateful as a person and cherish the little things, such as holding my kids’ dimpled hands or being able to take a shower uninterrupted (haha). I think differently about love and about purpose. I am just thankful for the opportunity to make a positive difference in my son and daughter’s lives. My kids are at the top of my list of priorities and my photos reflect that. 🙂

So I’m hoping this ban on pictures is just a phase. This paparazzi needs her job back! 

What other song could I include for this post besides Lady Gaga’s “Paparrazzi“? 🙂

Why do you love taking and sharing pictures and videos of your kids?