It was back in the day when everyone sent one perfect family photograph as a holiday greeting at Christmas and I, the ever perfectionist mom, had a brilliant idea. I was going take the single most awesome photograph of my toddler sons at the Como Park Conservatory for our card. Since I was a child, I had watched wedding, graduation and holiday photos taken at this magical place where tropical flowers exploded with color everywhere even when our Minnesota world was winter white. I had taken my own prized shots of the dazzling off-season color at the Conservatory for high school and college photography classes. I had watched countless families taking shapshots of brides, children and grandparents using this beautiful backdrop. Now it was my turn for a family Kodak moment. This was the year our Christmas card was going to be the envy of all our friends with the brilliant blue eyes of our babies gazing angelically toward the camera surrounded by flowering wonder.
I did mention they were toddlers right?
My husband and I selected the weekday afternoon in the late fall, and after naptime, when the Conservatory would be somewhat empty for our quest. Both our young men were dressed in their matching blue sweaters with bright colored trains woven into the pattern. They were advised of the importance of our mission and they played their roles like anyone, except their very naïve parents might have expected. They were normal three and one-year-olds (i.e. they were as far from perfect as possible).
Determined to get that ideal shot for the holiday card of my dreams, my husband and I coaxed, cajoled and threatened our boys into behaving. Keep in mind, this was before digital cameras and so I had 36 frames in which to get that one perfect shot and we would leave the park without knowing if it was captured or not. Unfortunately, threatening toddlers is like feeding them sugar; our hands were full trying to pose crazed chaos times two! After a frustrating hour, we left the tropical oasis with a camera full of images and the hope that one would be wonderful.
The results were far from perfection. In the best shot, there was one pensive-looking older brother with a headlock on his younger sibling who gazed away from the camera. But we went with it as our family Christmas card that year. Not the angelic faces I imagined, but then who said Kodak moments had to be perfect? (Okay
...I know. I did.)
But I learned from this experience that it is more important that photos capture personality-filled moments rather than that one perfect shot.
My husband made that photograph into a wristwatch for me that Christmas...yes it was back when everyone looked at their wrist to find the time instead of their phone. I looked into those not-so-angelic faces several times everyday for over a year.
Over time this special, imperfect snapshot became one of my most treasured photos of my boys. I smile at memories of the expectations, frustration and quest for perfection. I also see the personalities of my young adults shining through the faces of those lovable, but not-so-cooperative, toddlers. I learned an important lesson about family that day. What I see in my mind's eye as the perfect photo can never be captured on film (or on a SD card). Memories are what we are capturing. And, like my toddlers taught me that day, not all memories are perfect but they all are treasured.
This post is written as a submission to the ActiveRain 'Kodak Moments' contest. I have the chance to win the KODAK EASYSHARE M580 Digital Camera
To participate in the ActiveRain contest, visit the blog post announcing the contest from Kodak and ActiveRain.
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