I’ve been actively participating in Facebook’s weekly meme called Throwback Thursday (hashtag #ThrowbackThursday) because it’s fun looking through old photographs and sharing them to friends and family and whoever you want to prove to that yes, there was once a time in your life that you were thin. Seriously, the hashtag should be: #OnceIWasThin.

As I was rummaging through piles of photos “developed” from films to glossy Kodak papers, I realized: I really loved photos of me and my siblings when our mom was in the photograph too.

And sadly, there are really very few.

Now that I’m a mother too, myself, I know what’s going on here. After two children, I’ve been avoiding the camera (even hate looking at the mirror) at all costs. I take a lot of photos of the children but that’s about it, I am scared to stand alongside my little humans as their small size only magnify mine. Eeeps.

My mom must have felt the same thing when she was younger but you know what? When I see photos of my mom from long ago, I don’t see what she hated to see. I don’t see the post pregnancy baby weight, the saggy boobs (from breastfeeding SIX children!), the muffin top from her jeans or the jiggly underarms that she was conscious about (aren’t we all?). I don’t see the nails and hair that desperately needed a salon trip.

Instead, I see my mom’s loving arms holding us, I see her beautiful smile despite the sleepless nights. I don’t see wrinkles of age but fine laugh lines from laughing with us. 

I wish there were more photos of mom like that.

I know my children will be like me and would love to see photos of me when they grow up, where they can actually point, “hey, this is my mom!” so I decided I need to get back in the picture. Be brave enough to face the camera again, flabs, dark under-eye circles and all. Me and all my imperfections in the pic.

I am the family photographer so there are very few photos with myself but lately, I have been telling the husband to take photos of me and the kids. Take photos of me and the kids – need to tell it twice to be more effective!

Or take selfies, lots and lots of selfies with them when no one is around to take our photo. I take photos during our plays and random moments because…these moments won’t ever come back again.

When we’re playing, I pause to take a photo of us, when I arrive home from work and they mob me and we all fall into the sofa, I snap a photo when I wake up with them beside me…I take photos of every chance I get.

THIS. It wasn’t important that my mom wasn’t skinny or hot or “looking good for a mom” (what does that even mean?), what’s important is that she was there.

I would want my kids have something to look back to and say, “I had the best time in this pic AND my mom was there too.”

We’re lucky to be living in this age of advanced technology of smartphones and cameras at hand. Take advantage of it! Moms, get back into the picture! For in life, there is no rewind.