My daughter goes to preschool three days a week. She has been going since she was about a year and a half. She really likes it. She learns a lot, including how to socialize and share, which are two of the biggest lessons any child can learn at an early age if you ask me.
Every morning when we drop her off, we take a photo. When my husband drops her off, he sends me the picture. When I drop her off, I send him the picture. Sometimes we write a quick note: “Went well!” or “Cranky today!” but not always.
We have saved most of these pictures. They are a living history record of this time in her life.
Sometimes we are in the pictures. Sometimes her friends are in the pictures. Sometimes it is just her.
My husband and I do not take a single parenting moment for granted. Our daughter was adopted and before she came into our lives, we did not know if we were going to be able to be parents. We are grateful beyond measure.
All the gratitude in the world, though, does not make parenting easy. We get angry. And frustrated. And crazy with worry or anxiety at times.
We also get such love, adoration, and happiness, more than I ever thought I could have.
Our daughter is an amazing little person. She is thoughtful and funny and kind and honest. We will never know if she was born that way or if being raised by us caused her to be that way, but it really doesn’t matter.
I like to flip through the photos on my phone and linger on the ones from school drop-off. Oftentimes, she is still wearing her coat. Or she is in the middle of breakfast. Or her hair is a mess for one reason or another. These are the candid pictures of her life. The ones that are not posed and are not usually on my Facebook or Instagram accounts. They are just her – real and raw and genuine.
I am not sure how much credit I can take for my child…but I look at those pictures and I am so very proud and I hope that some of her spark, some of her wit, comes from me. The idea of seeing me reflected in my daughter’s eyes is pretty much the best thing ever. This photographic record we’ve created is evidence of the way parenthood has taken over our lives. For me, it has defined who I am in a way I never expected.
