by Stephanie
As a family with three children, two working parents and a
full schedule, time literally flies by. Here I sit at the beginning of November,
staring down December, wondering where have the days, weeks and months gone? It
truly seems like yesterday I was planning for our summer vacation and swimming
at the pool!
Amid those challenges, my husband and I have been working
really hard to be intentional with our time and the decisions we make for our
family. One of those intentional activities we’ve started is to take turns
going on dates with our two older children every week. Each of our dates we do
something different. But it’s something that allows us to spend time together, one
on one, talking, laughing and simply enjoying each other’s company without any
other distractions. Last week it was my turn to go out with my daughter, and I
decided to take her to a nature center near by and allow her some time to play
with a camera amid the beauty of nature (and to give me some time to play
too!!).
We explored the grounds. We wandered along the trials. We
took lots of pictures.
She shot flowers, a barn, some leaves, the ground, her feet, and some
more flowers.
I shot flowers, a barn, some leaves, a bug, and I shot her
shooting.
We had a great time playing cameras and just being together.
And we made a plan to do it again!
As time continues to fly by, I am grateful for the moments, days, weeks and months I get to spend with my children. And I am grateful to capture those moments to remember them for years to come!
10 comments:
First of all, Stephanie ... this is a wonderful family tradition, dates with your children. Kudos to you and your husband! Secondly - hooray for the budding photographer and allowing her to 'see' things her own way. She's going to do well, I think, her collage is lovely. I truly believe in putting cameras in children's hands early on. My granddaughter uses one of my older cameras to shoot with and I love seeing what she sees and how she sees it. I'm seriously looking into a nice little P&S for a Christmas gifts so she'll have it for some upcoming trips to create her own photo magic and memories. We can't start them too young!
Beautiful shots of your family, and what an awesome way to keep these memories
i love this so much stephanie. and i am always amazed at how my daughters sees the world through the lens. and yes, time does fly...you will be so very glad that you have spent this one on one time with your children years down the road.
This is such a lovely idea! My former mother-in-law always had special days or even trips set aside for each grandchild. I was an adult (obviously) , but I adored her, and thought how very lucky her grandkids were! Sadly, she passed into alheimers before my kids were able to have the same priviledge, but I have digested the message. If I am lucky enough to have grandchildren, I will absolutely carry on her model.
And what fun that your daughter is liking the camera - that may becaome something you and she can carry on throughout your lives together!
Oh, man, time flies so fast you could get whiplash if you're not careful! And it seems to go faster and faster as the years pass. It's wonderful that you recognize this now while your kids are still young and are taking steps to treasure every single moment. We used to do "dates" with our kids where each of us would have one of them one-on-one and those memories are so special! I love that your daughter is following in your footsteps and taking up photography. It will be something special for the two of you to share and, knowing the joy you get from the hobby, it's a perfect thing to share with her. Your (and her) photos are beautiful.
Oh yes…that time is precious together. A great way to spend it sharing the love of photography.
It touches me deeply to see the shots of your daughter with a camera, shooting. That was me with my Instamatic and my Dad. I will never forget our times together sharing a love of photography. What you are doing is brilliant. It is important to both encourage our children and to just Be with them. You are doing both.
I notice my children are different when I am with them one on one. They are free from competing with their sibling and also the other grown ups around for attention. They relax and seem more animated. Precious time I too need to schedule in for it to happen. Great reminder.
I wish I would have done more of this one on one with my children when they were young. But I did and continue to do so with my grandchildren. There is a special bonding that occurs when you are one on one with each other. Such sweet photos, Stephanie and isn't it wonderful to share photography with your daughter!!
Such cherished times together....with photo's to boot! I so enjoyed your post Stephanie. I can imagine the smile on your face as you captured your daughter taking her own photo's. How fun!!
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