…then Hugh has a million word story written already.
Seriously, friends, do we take too many pictures?
My childhood pictures fit into one brown scrapbook (faux leather with pull back sticky pages that are not acid-free). But I treasure those pictures so deeply. They offer a fuzzy glimpse into my childhood without telling the whole story.
There’s one picture of my mom pregnant with me (fully clothed, of course – no one showed their belly back then).
Me in my first pair of roller skates with red, white and blue stripes to match my best friend, Ann’s.
Meeting my newly adopted sister for the first time at the park.
Singing “Me and My Teddy Bear” at a school recital in an itchy plaid skirt.
Bridging ceremony at Girl Scouts.
A pink dress, a swing and a scab on my nose.
A strapless pink prom dress and a foreign exchange student date.
Playing in mud at Grandma’s creek house.
I probably take at least one picture of Hugh a day, not to mention pictures when we travel, when I go to conferences, with friends at dinner parties. What in the world are we going to do with all these pictures?
My god, the Shutterfly books, the photo accounts, the handmade scrapbooks, the rotating photos on our AppleTV. I personally have photos stored on iPhoto, Flikr, Adoramapix, and Picasa, not to mention Facebook, YouTube and this blog.
When Hugh was born, I had a photographer. But I didn’t want a videographer. I wanted to be able to recreate the experience of his birth in my own mind. Now I’m wondering if the same holds true for pictures. By capturing so much, am I stealing something precious from him? That ability to recreate for ourselves what our childhood was like. The memories that fill the the gaps between farflung images that are merely markers along the way, not a detailed description of our every move.
I still can’t stop taking pictures. But maybe one day I’ll do a big, giant purge. And when Hugh grows up, I’ll hand him one brown photo album with several grainy (thanks to Instagram) photos and let him fill in the rest.
Thanksgiving 2011 (lest anyone forget)
November 29, 2011 at 4:37 am
Wait. *You* sang “Me and My Teddy Bear” in a school show? *I* sang “Me and My Teddy Bear” in a school show! I don’t even have a photo of it… Thanks for updating your blog. I always love to “hear” what you have to “say”.
November 29, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Thanks, Erika! We need to do a duet next time we’re together. Hugh can play the Teddy Bear.
November 29, 2011 at 2:04 pm
I wonder about the 7000 pictures I have amassed in a mere 2 years, too. Nearly all of them exist solely on my computer, very few of them have been printed, and I doubt a measurable fraction of that 7000 ever will be. Maybe I’ve got that going for me? That I’m one hard drive failure away from total loss?
But I know when I look back at them, and even when I’m taking them, I hold my breath, fearing that if I exhale the magic of the singular captured moment will be lost. Parenthood has turned me into a sap. Totally and completely.
November 29, 2011 at 2:26 pm
7,000?! Awesome. That is approximately 9 per day. I know, hitting delete is so hard because of all the sappiness in the way…besides, he might Need that picture of his post-allergy shots one day.
November 29, 2011 at 2:45 pm
It’s sort of awesome that you mention, specifically, the allergy test pictures because just last night I was looking at those (they’re still on my phone, no less) thinking, do I really need 6 pictures? I should delete 5 of them…but which 5? Good grief, it’s a hive. No one cares but you. Just DELETE THEM.
(I still have 6 pictures of hives on my phone.)
November 29, 2011 at 8:20 pm
My brother was in town for Thanksgiving, and he took–I’m not exaggerating–150 pictures of Maybelle per day. I put SOME of those pictures up on Flickr. It’s still a crazy lot of pictures, but nowhere near the number he took.
November 29, 2011 at 8:23 pm
That’s great. I’ll have to go look at Flickr. Also, Hugh said out of the blue this morning, “Where’s Maybelle? I want to play with her.” It was so cute. Anyway, we’ll have to have a play date soon!
November 30, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Love this one – one of your best “insights” Love,Mom