When we were enjoying Peppa Pig World a couple of weeks ago my friend and photographer Amanda and I had a brief conversation about whether you can get too caught up in taking pictures all the time. Certainly for any mother who really enjoys taking pictures, there is danger that you can end up hidden behind a camera and not out in front actually experiencing things with your child. We both agreed and left our cameras behind as we boarded Peppa’s Balloon Ride with our children and enjoyed getting slightly dizzy as it went up and around.
So last night there were some amazing things the Little Monkey did that I did not capture on film or video:
- Put on his trousers by himself for the first time and even gave himself a little “Yeah” at the end.
- Had an epic tickle session with his daddy in which his face was lit up like light bulb with happiness and laugher.
- Rolled on the floor laughing just like they do at the end of every Peppa Pig episode.
- Repeatedly tried snorting like a pig to comedic effect (see previous post on Little Monkey’s Peppa Pig obsession).
And as these things were happening, I instantly thought to myself: “must go grab my camera” or “oh, what a great picture that would make.” But, I didn’t get my camera and instead just enjoyed spending the time with him and appreciating the funny little boy his is becoming. While I do love documenting his life as he grows up (and will continue to do so), it’s equally important that when I’m with him, I’m “with” him and not constantly distracted by jamming a camera in his face. Would I love to have a little video of him snorting like a pig? Of course. But what I do have is even better. The experience and memory of the two of us laughing at each other as we both snorted like pigs.
