5 Ways Taking Family Pictures is like Giving Birth

It’s that time of year. Lots of family portraits taking place. Everyone getting their Christmas card pictures in. You have to force yourself to stop yelling at children to cooperate long enough for a halfway decent picture of you to be snapped. Honestly taking family pictures is a lot like childbirth …

Both require a lot of planning

Before you give birth you should have some sort of a plan. How you will give birth, where, who will be there with you, some things in place for when you return home with your new bundle. Same with pictures: where will they be at, who will take them, and the big one … what will everyone wear.

Both are expensive

I gave birth nearly 2 months ago, and I’m at that fun stage where every time I open the mailbox there’s a new medical bill inside. For family pictures, everyone will need adorable and coordinating outfits. If you’re like me, nothing you currently own will do. Plus my kids pretty much live either in school uniforms or t-shirts, and neither will do for pictures. We don’t want them to be that real. So new outfits for all 5 members of this family can add up quickly.

You will break a sweat

I feel like not much needs to be said of the physical demands of childbirth. It’s pretty freaking hard and it’s not unreasonable you might be glistening during the process. We live in south Louisiana; it’s almost always warm. I usually don’t perspire much, but something about the stress of trying to look like I don’t want to kill everyone in my family and keeping my kids clean for 45 minutes really makes me break a sweat.

Doubt and regret

At some point during childbirth you will question every choice that lead you to this moment. It’s not easy and it’s painful and you will most likely just want to run away from all of it. That’s basically exactly like family pictures. There will be a moment during the session you will most definitely just want to call the whole thing off. You’ll wonder how anything cute or worth having will come from this pain. You will vow to never do this again.

The end results are always worth it

So at the end of childbirth, you’ll end up with the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen. Same with pictures. You’ll have something priceless to hold onto forever. You will always be glad to have them and the pain and memory of all the work it took to get them will eventually fade away. It might fade away so much in fact you decide to give birth again and then, of course, you will need new family photos.

Tara
Tara grew up all over south Louisiana and currently lives in Metairie with her husband Josh, and their 3 kids Dax, Dane and Delta. Tara is a buyer for a local food-service distribution company and Community Director for New Orleans Mom. During the week she can be found replying to emails, carpooling kids all around, giving out hugs and kisses, and looking forward to bedtime. Weekends are for family adventures, naps and cheering for LSU and the Saints. She loves trying new foods, travel, and she and her family love all things New Orleans, but especially Mardi Gras.

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