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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

(Editor’s note: please welcome Melissa Cameron, writing about photography, kids, and a little blackmail I know I’m planning to perpetrate when the boys get older. Thanks Melissa!)

Often times, kids don’t want to be photographed. They think it’s dull and useless to take them either by themselves or with people. For us adults, photos are a great way to hold on to the memories of when they’re still young. They don’t realize that, but we sure do. We just want to remember them as kids, even when they are grown. Here are five main reasons why you have to take pictures of your kids:

1. They Mature Fast – Our kids simply grow too quickly. Crawling one day, then the next they’re moving out. I’ve always told my husband Dave that the kids are growing up too quickly. Now they’re in school, and the next thing you know, they’ll be leaving the house. It makes me almost want them to not grow up. But I do have to be a realist. So instead, I’ll take pictures of them and enjoy every single minute I have with them as kids.

2. Treasure Their Baby Years – As we grow older we tend to forget things. We will always want to remember things just as they were. I wish I had a time machine to go to the past when all I did was change my kids’ diapers. I really had a lot of fun. I took pictures of them and I always go back to them seeing how wonderful we all were, and still are. Until recently, the only way to have pictures was to develop film rolls. Now that technology has advanced, we can use digital cameras to take hundreds of pictures and store them in the computer.

3. Making Memories – Even as they grow, taking pictures of them help create memories. While playing in the park, I’ll take my camera out and take a quick picture of them playing. I can later look at these pictures and remember how much fun we had.

4. Capture Amusing Moments – This one is pretty easy. I want to catch them doing something weird or when they’re making silly faces. We can look back at those times and remember how silly they silly they were. They’re cute, no matter what strange things they do. When they try to tell a joke, they sometimes try to act out what happens, and it’s always best to keep the camera handy.

5. Embarrassing Them – This is probably going to be my personal favorite thing to do when they grow up and leave the nest. When their partner comes to drop by, I can present to them awkward images of goofy things they did as youngsters. Showing them photographs of their tiny butts will do the best job. It’s nice to see their faces turning red like a tomato. My mom did that to me. I have to keep tradition.

I have listed a few reasons to take photos of your children. There are several more which I’m positive I did not think about. Even so, when it comes down to it, in case you do not take photographs of the essential moments while they are a youngster, you might regret it and it will be too late. They grow older so fast. Be quick and don’t let time beat you. Any memory you can capture, make sure you hold on to it.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron enjoys taking photos of her growing family and is continually looking for ways to take better photographs. Melissa is currently exploring the world of IR camera technology to broaden her knowledge on the subject. She enjoys researching and staying abreast of the latest developments in digital photography. She lives a busy life together with her spouse Dave and two children.

Photo courtesy of andrewrennie via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.

Earnest Parenting: tips for parents who like to photograph their kids.