Mamarazzi: Taking Pictures of Other Moms

picturesThis time last year, I was halfway through my second pregnancy. I was just beginning to be able to function after an extremely rough first trimester. My daughter and I had barely left the house and she had watched more hours of Daniel Tiger than any pediatric association would deem appropriate. One afternoon, I was feeling surprisingly well, so I decided to take her to the zoo. She was so excited to go and I was happy to get to spend some quality time with her! Her one request was that we ride the carousel. She hopped on her favorite animal, and I stood beside her watching her squeal as she floated up and down, up and down. After our nauseatingly long delightful ride, we began to walk toward the exit when a woman stopped me.

“I hope this isn’t weird,” she said, “but I took a picture of you and your daughter and I would like to send it to you. You both just looked so happy! Can I have your number?”

Honestly, it did initially take me by surprise, but I also thought it was so kind and thoughtful. I gave her my number, she text me the picture, I thanked her, and that was that.
When I saw the picture, I didn’t notice anything particularly glamorous about the picture of myself. I looked puffy but not pregnant, exhausted and pale in my hoodie and yoga pants, but that didn’t really matter. Because I DID look happy, and even more importantly, so did my daughter. That zoo trip was special for us, and I couldn’t have documented our time together on my own.
Since that day, I have started taking pictures…not of strangers, but of my mama friends and their kids. So many (read: ALL) of the pictures on my camera roll are of my kids or even my husband with my kids. I LOVE documenting everything, and I know that’s true of many of my friends. I also know that moms just don’t make as many appearances in front of the camera, and when we do, those pictures too often get picked apart and trashed. There was something so special about a candid picture taken of me with my daughter simply because of our obvious genuine enjoyment of each other.
Now, when I see my mom friends with their children, I love to snap a picture to send them later that day. While I am happy to take posed pictures of my friend with her kids, what I have really come to love are the pictures I take of them playing and mothering.  I love to tell them how inspiring they were to me in that moment, and how much those little moments matter to their kids. I know so many awesome moms, and all of them deserve pictures of themselves enjoying their children in what seems to be the mundane of our normal day to day lives.  We are so lucky to have a camera in our pockets everywhere we go (with no film to be developed)!  The pictures I take may never end up framed on the walls of their homes, and at least 50% of the time, they feature a very blurry little hand. Nonetheless, the snap shots are reflective of beautiful moments and beautiful mothers.
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These are my latest snap shots of some of the beautiful mothers I have the privilege of knowing.

So the next time you’re out with your friend and her kids, and you see your her kissing a booboo, or catching a squealing toddler at the end of a slide, take a quick picture and send it to her along with some encouragement. I can almost guarantee you she will appreciate your thoughtfulness and it will brighten her day!

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Becky Walker
I fell in love with my husband, Dustin, when I was a wide eyed 15 year old. I have been a mostly loving wife since June 5, 2010, and a mom since February 16, 2012. I live right by Tinker AFB, and I have three little ones- Lyla, 6, Karrick, 2, and our bonus baby Juliet, almost 1 year old! Along with serving as Community Engagement Manager for OKCMB, I work part time from the closet under our stairs teaching English to Chinese students early in the morning! The most relaxing part of my day is when I drink my whole cup of coffee -HOT- while it’s still dark, and the rest of my house is still and quiet. During the day, the kids and I are out and about, exploring the city and avoiding the laundry. I do my very best to run a happy and healthy household for my husband and the little people God has entrusted to me.

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