The other day I was scrolling through my phone in search of photos for our school yearbook and I ended up going down a camera roll rabbit hole. One minute I’m looking at my smiling toddler on the playground, and the next I’m staring at a picture of my actual teenager trying on a prom dress.
It’s crazy how much our photos change. Back then, it was all about capturing everything all the time. I was so afraid to miss all the cuteness: the first steps, the missing teeth….
But then I look at the recent stuff. The photos aren’t as cute but they’re better in a way I didn’t expect. I’m not chasing them around a playground anymore, I’m just trying to take a quick shot of them actually looking up from their phone or laughing at something their sibling said.
It’s a different kind of magic, watching them turn into the young people they’re becoming. And even though I miss that toddler phase with them so, so much, I do enjoy their fresh perspectives or their random, hilarious vision of life and getting to see them as their own, fully formed people.
Soon the camera roll will change again. We’ll be empty nesters and the images will probably be of their first apartment or favorite, new coffee shops in the city they’ve just moved to for a job.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I think I’ll just keep enjoying this weird, wonderful middle ground.
~ Maite
I am so loving this post, thank you thank you thank you for your wisdom and your heart.
Thank you so much, Alison!
I remember those days when we chased them with cameras. And now look at us all. We’ve all grown!
Indeed, we have!
Me encanta!!! ❤️❤️
Gracias, hermano querido…
There’s such sweetness and honesty to this post and images. I love the playfulness of some of these photos and the slices of real life. So good. And I love this phrase…”camera roll rabbit hole.”