Belle & Co.

I just want you to stop for a moment and check these photographs out, and think about yourself as the child…..
What would you be thinking and feeling about your mum in these  family photographs?
There was so much giggling and laughing going on, we were talking nonsense mixed with what the kids love about each other and about their mum. We were chatting about the kids.

Fast forward 25 years later, imagine looking at these photographs now? You may even be showing your own kids these photographs. You may be reminiscing at the joy and beauty of your childhood, of the shenanigans had, the fun times, the hard times, the busy times, the slow times, the restorative times, the family holidays, and time just being together.

All those times are what shape and moulds us into who we are. All the minute experiences that quite often we absolutely have no recollection of. They somehow invade our cells and embed themselves firmly into the fabric of our being.

So I would have to agree to with the many articles and posts people write about Mumma’s being in photos and not just taking them. About being in them and not thinking about how you look (to others) and why you tell yourself  “now isn’t a good time”. Now IS a good time to have your photograph taken with your children, because now is all we have, now is all we can know, and now is enough because…

as Brene Brown says we need to tell ourselves,
“I am Enough”

How would your ‘mould’ be different if you had hardly any/lots of photos of you and your mum/parents. What message does this send them? What message do you want to send them?

How do you even think you look to your children? Children don’t care what you look like or what you wear, truly they really don’t. They don’t have a clue about the latest fashion, or hairstyle. All they care about  is how soft your hand feels as it strokes their face to go to sleep. They care about how warm and loving your hug is when they need a safe space.

And while you sit and ruminate on having/not having someone take your family photographs and wonder about all the reasons why you won’t look ‘good enough’ your little people are growing up right before your eyes, and they won’t stop while you ponder those reasons.

So just do it, don’t listen to that inner critic that is often left unchecked in our minds to run riot telling us a story that seriously has no basis on any kind of truth. A story that’s based on a fantasy created by the worlds crazy media force. A ‘not enough’ story when are more than enough

It’s a story that tells us what we are think we are missing, however IT’s missing all that we have that is right in front of us. This is where our focus needs be diverted to, not to that small incessant voice.

Life is here to be celebrated…….