Here’s a quick challenge. Log onto your Facebook page and look at the last few months of photos. How many of those photos are of your kids? How many of those photos are you in? Now go to the Facebook page of a friend who doesn’t have kids. How many pictures have they posted that are of themselves (with or without other people in them)? See a pattern?

Sometimes a blog post hits me dead between the eyes.

Lisa Belkin’s post last week in the Huffington Post did just that. In it she writes of the overwhelming reader response to an essay by Allison Tate who wrote about her quest to put herself back in her children’s pictures after noticing that she had fewer and fewer pictures of herself with her kids.

Tate asked how someone so omnipresent in her children’s lives could be so absent in the documentation of their lives? It got me thinking. How many pictures do I have of myself with D2? Turns out not as many as I thought.

I remember when I posted the photo below on my Facebook page. I loved the contrast of D2′s face against the colorful design on my dress. One of my friends commented, “Love the photo but where is mommy?” Indeed, where is she? Who is she?

As I look back on the last three years of photos with D2, I realize that as he has gotten older, I am in fewer and fewer photos with him.

I’ve always shied away from  being defined only by my role as a mother.  As much as I love being a mother, I feel myself cringing when people say “Oh, you’re D2′s mommy!”  I want to say, “Yes, but I’m lots of other things too, not just a mother.”

Am I subconsciously opting out of pictures to make a statement? Or is something else at work?

Or maybe it’s that like lots of mothers, I see so many flaws in my “post-baby” body and pictures only serve as a reminder that some days I just don’t feel or look all that fabulous. I wish my butt was smaller and my boobs were perkier. I wish I didn’t have so many moles on my face. The list goes on and on. Every now and then when the stars align I feel like I look good enough to take a picture.

But what I realize from reading Allison Tate’s essay is that’s a pretty selfish reason to opt out of pictures.  Truth be told, D2 doesn’t care if I need a hair cut or if I am ten pounds too heavy. He doesn’t care if I’m wearing lipgloss or if my eyebrows are perfectly shaped ready for my closeup.

No, he cares about hugs, kisses for his boo boos and our time together in his rocking chair where we record silly videos and take snapshots on my iPhone every single night – without  fail. He needs to see me. He needs to know that when I am long gone, he can look back at our photos and see the documentation of a mother who loved him more than anything else in the world. I was there with him.

So like lots of moms who were moved by Allison Tate’s essay, I’m putting myself back in the picture.

What I know for sure is that no documentation of D2′s life is complete without me in them. Your turn. Do you take photos with your kids? Do you ever find that you are missing from pictures of important family moments? What do you think of Allison Tate’s challenge?

 

 

 

 

 

When I started Boss Mom, I promised to share with you only the products and services that I love and use myself. This week I am excited to share one of my secret passions with you. I’m talking, of course,  about personalized stationery.

Ever since my mother bought me my first set of Hello Kitty note cards as a little girl, I have always loved stationery. Actually, I’m a little bit obsessed; I love it so much I have more than nine sets.  I like to think of stationery and greeting cards as an extension of my personal style.

I love choosing just the right note card to fit the occasion or my mood.

So when my friend Kalyn Johnson, a former powerhouse corporate attorney-turned fashion stylist and lifestyle guru, told me she was launching Effie’s Paper, an on-line stationery company, I was thrilled.

Kalyn is one of the most stylish people I know and I knew that she would have a unique take on personalized stationery. Effie’s Paper now boasts ten different collections. Many of the designs are inspired by her travels around the world to locales like Anguilla and Buenos Aires. I am a huge fan of her Jetsetter line which features gorgeous textile-inspired designs.

For the stylish man in your life she even has a line for men called Bespoke Bloke (love that name!). The line features masculine patterns in argyle and tartan plaid, all perfectly customizable for the man in your life.

Her newest line, Oh Baby! is a wonderful collection of personalized note cards for children.  I can hardly resist the super cute designs with names like Mr. Roboto, Big Wheels and Honey Bunny.

The Oh Baby! collection also features matching mommy calling cards  perfect for sharing with new friends to schedule play dates or for networking at school or social functions.

Now for the Giveaway.

I am thrilled to partner with Effie’s Paper to give one lucky winner a delightful set of personalized stationery from the Oh Baby! collection. Entering is easy. Simply do the following:

• Like Effie’s Paper on Facebook 
• Visit the Oh Baby! collection at Effie’s Paper. Pick your favorite design from the Oh Baby! collection and tell me in the comments section why you should be selected to win a free set of personalized stationery.

I’ll announce one lucky winner on Saturday, October 6th. Good luck and don’t forget to tell me about your favorite design in the Oh Baby! collection in the comments to win.

Update: Congratulations to reader Ginny who one a personalized set of Honey Bunny stationery from Effie’s Paper!

 

Photo credits: Effie’s Paper (www.effiespaper.com)