When I first started blogging and went in search of sites written by other parents of children with Down Syndrome, one of the things I noticed was a distinct lack of photos.
Maybe it was fear of strangers seeing their children, or maybe it was just a level of ignorance about how to upload pics, but I do remember thinking it was sad, especially as, to my mind, one of the positive things about blogging when you have a child with special needs is the normalising of the parenting.
That seems to have changed over the past year or two, but there still something that’s not felt quite right and I’ve only just realised what it is:
There’s a distinct lack of photos of children with their parents.
Now I know, someone has to hold the camera. But I’m also aware that a lot of blogger parents feel it’s the child that’s the focus and not them.
On top of that, I also know a great deal of you are lacking in confidence about the idea of having your photo taken.
Which is a real shame.
We all come in all shapes, colours and sizes and I think it’s a wonderful thing to see photos of the parents and children together. You know you love to see them too, so why not let others see them of you?
With this in mind, I thought I’d better put one up of me and Meg, so while we were out as the sun was setting, I took this one at arm’s length.
I’d forgotten to take the zoom off.
Still, when I downloaded it onto the computer, I could see the smile in Meg’s eyes and thought it was actually a pretty good a photo of the 2 of us sharing that moment.
So, ladies and gentlemen, get those cameras out, and if you don’t have a partner to hand to help out, work out the timer function or use a mirror. Let’s see more photos of parents and kids together!
Kim is usually to be found at his own blog, Ramblings of the Bearded One. Although you will find tales about his daughter, Meg, under his “Down’s Syndrome” category, you’ll find far more simply under “Fatherhood“