Yesterday was an insanely awesome spirit lifting day. The first picture of Nate with a cape made Flickr Explore yesterday. This is huge for me. HUGE. Getting a photo in Flickr Explore WAS on my Mondo list. CHECK!!!!
(If you don't know what Flickr Explore is, they pick 200 photos each day to be featured. The pictures are always AMAZING and inspiring and incredible.)
It was a gift from the universe to get such positive feedback. This whole experience morphing from engineer to artiste has been difficult for me lately. I'm so used to a black and white world where things are right or wrong. Photography is subjective, and people are so condescending of "moms with cameras" that I often worry I am a huge photography hack and just don't see it. So I was super duper happy to not only check an item off my Mondo list but to get a little sign that I am following the correct path.
Then I picked the boys up from school and one of the boys had punched a classmate. We had an insanely long "come to Jesus meeting" (for lack of a better phrase) that ended with someone getting sent to bed right after dinner, which started a two hour crying jag. He also got in trouble for lying to me about it, another wonderful aspect of age 5. This is when it sucks to be the parent, because I needed him to get this upset to truly understand why violence is absolutely not tolerated, but FOR REALS, two freaking hours of non-stop crying can really bring you down from a super high.
Fortunately I bitched and complained with my Ladies' Night ladies, had a glass of wine and a peanut butter cup cookie, and when the boys went to bed, I jumped back on Flickr to see the very nice comments.
PS. Anyone who wants to judge the puncher needs to zip it. If day care has taught me anything, it is that sometimes kids are the punchers and sometimes they are the punchees. I think kids learn best by understanding boundaries and now the puncher knows our family boundaries.
13 comments:
I am impressed by a lot here.
1-the whole flickr awesomeness
2-that you aren't afraid of a 2 hour crying jag to teach an invaluable lesson.
3-that you only ate 1 peanutbutter cookie after said crying jag
However, you must stop doubting yourself in your photography journey. You are very talented. You are a Mom. You have a camera. You have a photography business. You are not a Mommy with a camera.
Also, who would judge the puncher?! Don't all kids have to learn this lesson?
I only had one cookie for dessert because I had two for breakfast.
Congratulations on reaching your goal!
And no one should judge the puncher, all kids make mistakes and lessons are learned.
I agree with Maria, who would judge the puncher? All of our kids have done stuff like that at some point and it is when we lay down the law like you did, that we do our job as parents, which isn't always easy (especially the 2 hour crying jag afterward).
I am so excited for you that you checked something off your mondo list. That was one awesome photo, but so are many of the others you have taken and our sure to continue taking in the future.
Yes to spirit crushing and boo to timing when you were on a high.
Here's the thing, you are working a dream and making it happen. You took a huge leap of faith and opened a business in 2011.
This is not an extension of taking pictures of your kids, but a growing business is evidence of real talent.
You are right, the Universe gave you a wink and a nod yesterday.
Believe that not just friends recognize you are talented but so do people you have never met to have liked you work and commented yesterday.
Believe it and eat another cookie.
Hahahah, I almost choked on my cookie when I read the PS line. Good for you. I'm a mom of all boys and let me tell you that your PS comment is so right on even as they get older and are teens. Daycare can be rough enough, imagine the halls of high school =)
I have no idea what Flickr Explore is, but CONGRATS!!!! Way to go! And, proud of you on how you handled the puncher, parenting is so hard. And, only 1 glass of wine? I would have had AT LEAST 2 :)
Kapow!!
Congratulations on your photo! I think you having amazing talent and I am so inspired by you in so many ways!
As for the punching. I have a biter. He has bit two different kids now and it is mortifying. Only he is still so little I don't know how much my stern talking-tos are working when I pick them up hours after it happens.
But we are working on it. No judging here of anything!
Flickr!!! That is amazing. Not surprised though. =)
I have a feeling Delaney will be a puncher at some point. She has issues managing her anger and currently chooses the sweep and destroy method. We're working on it but man, that's a hard one to teach.
I wish all women/Mommies/people would stop judging. Period. I'm so sick of it; I don't know what to do.
Now, please don't judge me when I tell you that I had a brownie and a scoop of coffee ice cream in the middle of my work day, after reading about Laura's cookies for breakfast.
Thanks!
P.S. I know I've said it already, but that cape picture was all kinds of awesome! Seriously.
Someone told me recently when I was lamenting the judgment I feel when I bring my spirited child anywhere that most intelligent, caring people will respond with empathy when they see a child misbehaving. I'm not sure if this is true, but I do think judging the puncher here would be foolish. I am hoping no one responded that way.
Man, being a consistent rule enforcer can suck. I hate listening to the bitching and moaning, but I know the consequences of letting them off the hook are far worse.
The only time I judge the puncher is when it's a chronic problem that clearly isn't being addressed in an effective way. Any kid can haul off and do something stupid once or twice (or maybe a few more times). It's when it's a frequent occurrence that we have a problem.
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