This picture represents when I learned to let things roll.
Not at this exact moment in time, of course. But five years later, I could laugh. I still laugh. Because this, this photo represents parenting. Anything and everything that can go wrong, will. And you just have to roll with it. If you can laugh, all the better.
At the exact moment this shot was snapped, I almost snapped. Actually, I’m pretty sure I did.
The goal was an Easter photo shoot. I was bound and determined to be Ghetto Anne Geddes — I’d purchased three sets of $1 bunny ears and plastic baskets. This was gonna be cute, dammit. Except child models being the testy, petulant creatures they are, these guys wouldn’t cooperate. Well, one did. I’ll admit it: She’s my favorite. She tried to rally the troops, but alas, the perfect Easter photo was not to be. The littlest one ripped off the ears. The middle one started to cry because she wanted a snack.
I believe my tirade went something along the lines of “ALL I WANT IS ONE LOUSY PICTURE! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK? I’M YOUR MOTHER! C’MON! GIVE ME A BREAK! JUST ONE LITTLE BREAK! I’LL GIVE YOU GOLDFISH! YOU CAN WATCH TV! JUST, PLEASE, FOR TWO SECONDS, CAN YOU COOPERATE?! IS THAT SO HARD?! I DO SOOOOO MUCH FOR YOU! YOU CAN’T DO THIS ONE, TEENY THING FOR ME?! YOU ARE GOING TO BE SO SAD AT CHRISTMAS!”
It makes me laugh when I see the perfect, posed family pictures on Facebook — because I know the truth. It’s the outtakes that tell the real story. Families are messy, tough. It’s not easy, it just…. is.
So you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life. Who would have thought the theme song from an 80s TV show could be so spot-on?
*Ha, ha. Yes there is. A lot of it. But, there are plenty of laughs, too.
TheRealKristenCook.com 