Why I Care if You’re in the Photos
“NEW PICTURES!!” Both of my kids yelled it at nearly the same time, from their respective bedrooms. They both galloped into each others’ rooms to compare. I had updated the photos in the frames on their dressers earlier that day and then promptly forgot about it, and this was their first reaction to seeing them.
The joy they expressed at seeing new family photos in their bedrooms softened my “it’s time to get ready for bed” heart and I stood in the hallway between their rooms watching them run back and forth and talk about the photos they loved most.
They liked the ones of them by themselves, but there was an underlying self-consciousness as they looked at those. The ones that were really exciting for them were the ones of them with the rest of us: a solo photo cuddling with Mom, a photo of them riding on Dad’s shoulders or reading a book, a group photo of us playing and not really paying attention to the camera.
It’s the unposed, documented joy, the photos of us just hanging out together, that remind them that they are an important part of our family. It’s this type of photo that reminds kids that they belong, that they’re loved, accepted, and part of something greater than themselves.
Multiple studies, over decades, have shown that kids who see printed photos of themselves and their family feel more confident in themselves and feel a stronger connection within their family and a stronger sense of belonging and identity. One such article
It’s not just kids who benefit, either. Parents who see photos of their own families feel a stronger reminder that they’re doing a great job. Parents and kids both have higher self esteem and a lower rate of depression and anxiety.
It’s not enough for kids to just see photos of themselves. Yes, seeing photos of themselves is so valuable. But seeing photos of themselves *connecting with you* is where the real magic happens.
I have seen, not just with my own kids, but also with the kids of clients, how printing and placing photos where they can see them daily helps them feel connected to their family. How proud they are to see themselves in print. And how seeing themselves with their parents makes them radiate with joy.
Updated photos are not the point. Seeing how much the small humans in your life have grown isn’t really the point, either.
Mental health is the point.
Confidence, self esteem, belonging, and worth, all tied to something so simple: printed photographs.
Get in the photos with your kids. Your future self (and theirs) will thank you.
