What I learn from my children PART I

In my "What I learn from my children" series I will be taking photos that my sister snapped and that I edited with words. These words came to me as I sat staring at each individual picture and reminded me of pieces that I have lost in my own life. My children are teaching me to be 100% AUTHENTIC again!

I chose this picture as my first entry as it stands out to me in so many ways. Firstly you can notice Lexie-Grace's very dirty face and messed up hair and that the word "Cherished" is spelt wrong. I LOVE IT!!! This photo is not perfect in any sense as Lexie-Grace isn't neat or clean, she has the scraggliest t-shirt on and her hair could honestly nest a couple of birds :). I think if you know me you would know I am no fan of studio pics and here is the reason why, they are sooooooooooooooooo beautiful and PERFECT, not a hair out of place or a sign of snot anywhere! But by being so perfect I find them exceptionally unnatural and totally uncharacteristic of what a child is. I feel the immense pressure to make sure my girls look perfect all the time and it is just draining, unnatural and really not necessary.

I think in this day in age there is immense pressure from parents who expect their children to be perfect and adults. Now I am not saying that by taking studio photos this is the case, but I am just rebelling against the notion of perfect children who have to be Rocket Scientists at the age of 2. I also have studio photo's and I love them :) I believe children should be allowed to play more rather than going from one appointment to the next. I am a firm believer of investing into your children, but I do think our society is tipping it over to the unnatural side of things.

In this photo shoot Lexie-Grace was playing her heart out in the garden and her hair was so muzzled that I couldn't even run my fingers through it. But I have never seen her happier than being in her natural environment, namely the world of "FREE PLAY". I remember being on a missions trip in Zambia in 2007 and was watching the missionaries children play outside with frogs, insects and in mud and was so enchanted by their total happiness. While staring at them I got a little choked up thinking about my unborn children, as at that stage I wasn't pregnant or didn't have any children. I got chocked up thinking about the pressure they will one day have of having to be adults before they can even murmur a word or that society wouldn't deem it a good gesture to let your children play in the mud over going to "Extra concentration classes". I kinda made a commitment in my heart there and then that I would not succumb to that pressure one day. Well it is easier said than done, and now it is one day and at times I buckle under the pressure.

I was editing these photos until about 1am at night, not a smart move if you still have a small baby who needs a bottle at around 2am. Anyways, this led me to spelling the word cherished wrong, when i noticed this after saving it my first reaction was to correct it, but then i thought NO!! Sorry to all the spelling people out there, u just gonna have to close your eyes and click next :). Like I said I wanted to rebel against the pressure of having to be PERFECT all the time. It is in making mistakes that our children learn, so let them make mistakes and be gracious when they do.

Funny how this imperfect photo seems PERFECT!!!

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison