I think parenting always comes with a ton of smaller and larger regrets.
“I wish I had breastfed longer,” “I wish I had slept when the baby slept,” “I wish I hadn’t bickered with my partner so much about who had gotten less sleep.”
Literally, rife with regrets.
The one thing I think I personally regret the most about my first few weeks and even ears of parenthood is not being in enough pictures with my children.
It wasn’t always intentional, as in, most of the pictures of them I snapped myself and so, for practical reasons, of course, was behind the camera. But I also know that I on many occasions opted out of being in pictures simply because I felt self-conscious about the way I looked.
Whether it was in those very early days when I felt like I had just given birth and looked huge, or later, when I was just unhappy with how my hair looked or felt like I just didn’t look like I had slept enough or, on holidays, was worried about being snapped in my swimming suit or bikini, I very often excused myself and opted out of being in the picture.
Silly, silly me.
Not only because I one day will probably think about how I looked when I was 29 or 32 and kick myself for not appreciating how young and pretty and happy I was. But also because in my silly self-consciousness, I have deprived my children of so many memories of moments with me.
When I should have just gotten in the picture. Because at the end of the day – and this is all that matters – my children think (at least for now) I am the most beautiful person in the world. They never think I have a bad hair day or that my thighs are too big or my tummy too soft or that I look tired. They see their mum – and they love me, and I wish I had so many more pictures of us together than I actually have.
But at least I have the chance to rectify this going forward.
And I will.
From now on, I will try not to worry about how tired I look or how I should have worn something different or how pale my legs look or how soft my tummy look in that swimsuit. From now on, I will be in the picture – because that is where I belong.
Make sure you put yourself in the pictures, mamas, every time!
