It’s that time of year again: the time when school photos start coming home. Lots of my friends have never and will never buy these pictures. The envelope with five proofs of five sometimes-goofy faces and five different backgrounds are sent right back with their kids’ Thursday folders. But I have yet to send one back without an order attached.
Every family has their own family traditions. One of ours is ordering school photos.
They’re not always the best shots. Some are pretty cute and some are quite ridiculous. Regardless, I’m that mom who will continue to buy school pictures every year.
Here’s why:
1. The grandparents.
My parents and my husband’s parents want these photos; they love getting the pictures each year. Whether they’re framed on the mantelpiece, stuck on their fridges, or carried around in their wallets, the grandparents take great pride in showing off their grandkids.
2. The cousins.
My brother, his wife, and my nephews live in Virginia. My nephews are exactly the same ages as my kids. We see them as much as we can, but it’s not often enough. And just as we have school photos of my nephews on our fridge, they have our kids’ photos on theirs. I can’t tell you how often my kids talk about their cousins over breakfast because they’ve seen their pictures on the fridge.
3. Growth and change.
I love looking at my husband’s school pictures from over the years, and the kids do, too. There are so many photos with siblings or other family members, so it’s a special record to have pictures just of him from year to year. Being able to see him grow and change through the photos is pretty amazing.
4. Creating their timeline.
Sure, living in the digital age, we have thousands of pictures of our kids, but there’s something about having a similar style of picture, taken exactly one year apart, that will create a timeline of my kids as they grow up.
5. You take the good, you take the bad.
There are going to be many awkward moments in my kids’ growth. When I look back at my school pictures over the years, there are A LOT of photos that make me cringe. But they also remind me of all the parts of my life—awkward stages included—that have made me who I am. I hope that one day my kids are able to look at their photos this way.
What about you? Do you order school photos?
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