Above is a picture of my son, Ben and daughter, Betsy. In the picture Ben is 3 and Betsy is 4 days old. They are now 13 and 10. Whenever I look at this picture, I am filled with many emotions including, sadness, happiness, wonder, awe, anxiety, frustration, hope and guilt.
I am filled....
I am filled with sadness because they are not babies anymore and I miss that time with them.
I am filled with happiness because they are growing to be such wonderful young people with lots of characteristics any parent would be proud of.
I am filled with wonder because, I truly "wonder" where life is going to take them.
I am filled with awe because they impress me each day with with their thinking and perspectives.
I am filled with anxiety because I worry about the world and life that surrounds them and know that I won't be able to protect them from everything.
I am filled with frustration because we don't always see "eye to eye" as they become more independent in their thinking.
I am filled with hope for the world is at their finger tips, if they will just take hold and grab it.
I am filled with guilt because I don't always make them my first priority and I've made many mistakes as their mom.
Below is a Smilebox slideshow I put together last night after looking through pictures. I made it for me, but thought I would share.
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| This slideshow design made with Smilebox |
Oh, I think I will be doing this for a slice as well. I know just the picture of my own children that evokes many of the same emotions you described. My daughter is two day old in the picture and my son who was almost two at the time is kissing her on the head. I could already see the love. I could see the love between your children in many of the pics in your smilebox. You have certainly prepared them to be a support for one another when they go off on their own adventure.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. Looking forward to reading your post about your children.
DeleteBarbara,
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great time going through pictures. Looks like a lot of great memories of your two kids. I loved the picture of the two of them looking at each other on the rock. You remind me how important it is to let kids know where we find our stories. Pictures are a good place to begin. You also remind me that it is important for kids to have more than one way to tell their story. Thanks for sharing your process and your beautiful family.
Cathy
Yes, I really did have fun going through old photos. Collecting photos is the first homework assignment my students have. It helps my students get to know each other, helps me get to know them and inspires writing in my class.
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