On October 18th, my daughter was born and I became the mother of three children. Hundreds of miles away, on the same day, another baby girl was born and another woman added the third child to her family. We were complete strangers at that time, but our love of photography and family brought us together. We started to have a conversation about motherhood with images, because we tell stories with our cameras. Since some tales are so similar, and some are not, we decided to collaborate and share a photo a week from a normal day as a mother to three.
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” – Mary Jean Irion
photo by Heather Robinson
In the mail today was your letter for kindergarten. You have always been this duel person. So little and yet so big. So mature and then so young and wild. I went into this summer thinking we’d spend so much quality time together. Maybe you’d mellow a bit. Swing more into the mature. Instead, you have been moodier than ever. Raging and hard to reach. I’ve been finding myself eagerly awaiting the start of school. But, when I read you the letter, you fell into me and cried, you are scared to start school. And all those many feelings I’ve been having, as a parent to you, my heart broke. You are still so little and I have to stop holding you up against those ideas that you should be anyone but yourself.
photo by Olivia Gatti of Click Click Love