My Unexpected Everyday Day 26 | Encouraging My Kids, One Shot at a Time

Last night, my kiddos fought over who would get their photo taken, who got to sit in front of mom while she fiddled with her settings and clicked of enough photos to get the best one. “I get to.” “No. I get to.” They went back and forth for a while before I agreed to take both of their pictures, and that made them happy.

And that’s when I realized that photographing my children is one way I can work on encouraging them, one way I can build them up and boost their self confidence.

During these 30 Days, I’ve explored my children’s world with my camera lens. And I’ve seen their joy and sadness. I’ve seen them smile and pout and fight and giggle themselves into tears. And I’ve seen them show off and brag and grin when they’re proud of themselves. I love that I’ve whitenessed so much because I’m paying close attention, because I have my eyes open and my awareness heightened.

My kids see that too, and it’s what they find so encouraging. They want to show their mom what they’re up to, what they are capable of. When I take a photo of it, I’m acknowledging their talents in a very real and permanent kind of way. They want to see it on the LCD screen. And they want to look again once I’ve loaded the photos onto my computer.

Their actions recorded through my photography has sparked conversations. Quiet snuggles. Heart to hearts about dreams for the future. Wide smiles. Bragging phone calls to Noni.

It’s an amazing byproduct. Beautiful photography and beautiful smiles. It honestly doesn’t get any better.