Not until you are a mother do you understand the nightmare that family pictures entails.
It starts early. You work around breastfeeding at the JCPenney studio, traveling 30 miles with an infant around naptime to time your picture session just right and hoping that new outfit won’t get spit up on.
It gets worse. Suddenly you have two. A toddler and an infant. Getting a three year old to smile at just the right time. Hoping the baby won’t have a meltdown. Photographers who don’t have children freaking them out with a furry puppet that plays peek a boo over and over again.
And then you hit the worse time of all, multiple ages. You begin sweating before you’re even dressed for pictures. Planning what to wear for more than four people gets harder. Your oldest has hit the stage where every picture needs rabbit ears or a tongue sticking out. Whining and I’m bored faces are coming from everyone, even your spouse.
Family pictures are never fun. And typically require a trip to time out, even if it is only for mom.
Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about a special project we did as a family that involves family pictures.
And then we’ll plan a few outfits for your next family group shot. That is, if you’re woman enough to go there.