One morning, as I awoke, a new image on my phone greeted me—a moment my husband captured while I was fast asleep next to our baby.
In this photograph, the reality of parenting was captured in its purest form. After a long night of changing, nursing, and soothing our baby back to sleep, there I was, caught off guard, yet completely immersed in the ‘mom’ role. This picture is unlike any posed selfies I usually share. Normally, I might be upset over an unfiltered snapshot taken without my knowing. But not this one. This one was different.
Having a newborn is a challenging journey. The physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion can be overwhelming, especially when coupled with the demands of two other children. My days are a carousel of changing diapers, cuddling, drying tears, mopping up spills, doing countless loads of laundry, washing dishes, and preparing snacks.
Beauty routines fall by the wayside. My hair, often in a ‘mom bun’, barely gets washed. Makeup doesn’t make the cut. Clothes bear the inevitable stains of food or baby spit-up. There’s realness in the fatigue reflected in this image—the swollen, baggy eyes, the unglamorous but genuine aspect of parenthood.
This snapshot is crucial—it serves as a reminder of the exacting nature of parenting. While we’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to forget that these chaotic, tender moments are fleeting and will be deeply missed. I want this image to remind me to cherish even the messy, exhausting parts of being a mom.
Holding my sleeping children, feeling their tiny breaths, their small hands gripping mine, are moments more precious than gold. Soothing them with a hug or a kiss means more than any minor inconveniences.
The joy of co-sleeping, of wiping faces clean, of morning cuddles—all these outweigh any temporary aches or mess. It’s these instances of pure, unbridled love that I never want to forget.
It’s important to capture these raw, unpolished moments of life. They’re as significant as any holiday or posed group photo because they are real. Remind your spouse or loved ones to keep taking these snapshots. Cherish them, for they capture the essence of life’s beautifully messy stages.
‘Be happy with these photos,’ because they represent life as it truly is—not always perfect, but always worth remembering.
