On the eve of the first day of school for most of Smyrna, Marietta and Cobb County children, I wish all my best to the kiddos. There will be mixed emotions for many Mamas out there. Tears over their big Kindergartners or 1st graders going off to “big school” for the first time. And, we can’t forget those doing the happy dance as well! Most of the kids I have talked to (including my own) have become bored and are ready for something new. I am definitely excited about the routine but dreading the homework and early mornings. My youngest doesn’t got back until after Labor Day so it will still be summer for the two of us.
Attention: Find your camera and make sure your battery is charged.
DON’T forget to take a picture of your kids on their first day of school! Really. Even if it is on your phone – do it. Put them next to something to mark their height like something in front of your house or the school so you can take another one at the end of the year. They will have grown an inch or two (so sad). Also, take a close up picture of their brand new white sneakers. 🙂 If you forget to do this you can do it the 2nd day of school and we just wont’ tell anybody.
Take note below of a previous year with my boys. Look at those white sneakers on the first day – blinding! By the end of the year they are kicking each other and you can see that little brother is catching up with big brother in height. Apparently, big brother became a rapper when I wasn’t looking. Not sure about those shorts… Alex wore those white shoes all year. He was really needing a new pair about 3 weeks from the end of school and I just pushed him to stuff his foot in there so I wouldn’t have to buy a new pair for 3 weeks. You can see by the end there were holes in the shoes and no tongues at all. Gross. Gross…but we will always have an image now of those yucky shoes and what abuse a 6 year old can do to a pair of shoes in one school year!
Lastly, I want to mention that my kids and maybe yours will fight the picture thing. Take them frowning if you have to. Just capture the moment even if they are fighting. Not every image has to be picture perfect. That wouldn’t be realistic and also very boring. I personally am hoping that one day I can laugh at them kicking each other. 🙂 Let your children get in on where they can stand or what to do. That always helps. Even when I have photo sessions with children I am always interested in the ideas kids always volunteer. The bigger ones around 5 years old+ almost always have a request and it is often silly but they are so much more into it when they get a say in what is going on. A great example is the first picture above and at my recent mini-sessions I let kids write on my chalkboard themselves. I could have written it neatly (not really, I have terrible handwriting). However, a child’s messy or misspelled words are so much more interesting and fun! Plus they love it because they did it themselves.
Happy School Day!
