Wordless Wednesday: A Challenge

On Monday, we took advantage of the reciprocity program through our membership at the CT Science Center and went to visit Mystic Aquarium.

While we were there, I, as usual, was taking way too many pictures with my camera.

I was trying to capture the fun of the moment and maybe get some shots for a future post.  I was busy keeping one eye on the kids, checking out the beluga whales, and also taking some cute pictures of my children and my husband.

Then I had a moment.

A woman came up to me and asked if I would like her to take a picture of me with the kids.

At first I said, “No thank you.  That’s ok.”

But then I thought about it.

Maybe it was the recent media blitz covering Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In and my thoughts on how women really need to support other women.  Maybe it was the Huffington Post article I read a few months ago called The Mom Stays in the Picture, where there was a national discussion on the importance of capturing a mom with her kids.

Whatever it was, I suddenly had a very emotional response to her offer.  I realized she was a mom just trying to help another mom capture a moment with her family.  I remembered how important it was to capture those moments.

I turned back to the woman and said, “Never mind.  I would love for you to take our picture.”  She responded with, “Great, moms are never in the picture.”

I love this shot and I’m thankful for the woman who took it for us.  It was such a simple act, but it meant so much.

Can I offer a challenge?

Follow Allison Tate’s lead and Get in the Picture, but also follow Sheryl Sandberg’s lead and support your fellow mom.  Don’t get me wrong, I realize that Sheryl Sandberg’s message it much, much larger than this simple thought, but it is the undercurrent of her message where she is trying to help women help each other that I think is universally valuable.

So, the next time you are out and see a mom snapping away, offer to take a picture of her and her little ones.  And the next time you are out and someone offers to take your picture, accept the offer.  You’ll be glad you did.

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