Relevance
Whenever I comment on our children tuning me out, or get sentimental for the preschool years, my husband likes to tease with “Remember, we’re becoming less relevant by the day.” Of course there is some truth to this statement, but the fact that we will always be relevant is also true. Recently I did the page above noting a poignant symbol of my biggest ‘little’ girl growing older, and it got me to thinking about the relevance of our photos & especially our albums.
If you’ve ever taken a trip or gone to see a show where your kids roll their eyes because the event is “lame” or “too babyish” you know about the whatever attitude that rears its head during early adolescence. This attitude is a manifestation of the child working to decrease our relevance; ultimately however we are still shaping the people they will become. In some cases our children may look for our guidance daily and in others in may seem to take years before they’re willing to admit we have any worthwhile knowledge. In either case though, our presence and witness to the values we embrace are impacting their reality and view of the world.
The photos we take give a unique point-in-time insight about our values; what we feel is important, interesting, and worthy of note. More importantly, the photos we preserve in albums show what we value enough to remember always and share. I have previously shared some psychological studies noting the benefits of photo albums to children’s self esteem; but beyond self-esteem, albums also are a unique tool to make us, and what’s important to us, relevant to our kids.
Our photographs of moments we felt worthy of remembering, preserved in albums ensure that for years to come the relevance of the event or story, of our values, will not be lost or forgotten despite the ever changing moods of adolescence. If your stories are told and photos shared in albums, the kids can look through them at any time. This action does not require any conversation or human interaction (which may be frowned upon by a certain-aged child at the time), yet you will be speaking volumes to them through the words and pictures on the page. These stories give our kids a way to stay grounded to what is truly important while giving visible proof that they are loved beyond measure.
So, if you want to stay relevant, take a picture, tell the story in your own words, and put it in an album for the kids to look at whenever. Your love is always there, and there’s no better way to let them see & hear it anytime they need it (even when they don’t want you physically around).
