Motherhood portraits in Sydney: Cherish this Day 5th Sept

One of my favourite songs at the moment is by Meghan Trainor, “All about that bass”. Not only is the music original but the words resonate with me:

I know you think you’re fat
But I’m here to tell ya
Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top

Yeah my mama she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, “Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.”
You know I won’t be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll
So if that’s what you’re into then go ahead and move along

I like these words because I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I have never been “no stick figure Barbie doll”. There is a lot of emotional baggage that comes with these feelings. Recently, I came to the conclusion that this is me, and “every inch is perfect from the bottom to the top”. I do need to manage exercise and make healthy choices. But I can’t put my life on hold while I make this happen.

And I say this here because I see many other Mothers doing the same thing. We escape from being in photos, delete those that we don’t like, and use filters in instagram to soften the edges. The number one reason why many delay professional portraits is to lose 5 kilos. “When I lose weight, I want you to take our portraits.” I think I would be a millionaire, well not quite, if I collected a dollar for every time I have heard this statement. Fast forward six months, and they say the same. I am not judging, as I do the same.

But here is the thing. Life doesn’t wait for us. We can delay portraits, escape from photos, or delete those images we don’t like. But while we do this, our children grow. They are six months older…then 12 months. They change, they are different.

This year, I started the “beauty of motherhood project”. My goal for this project is to capture the Mother-Child bond. To show the love we can’t always express in words for our children, and that connection we have with them. Although I have approached many Mums, I sadly hear how they need to make changes first. Our children don’t see our flaws, they only see how beautiful we are.

So one Sunday afternoon, when we spontaneously escaped our house after a week of rain, my eldest daughter captured this image of me with my youngest daughter. I am wearing no make-up, my hair is crazy, and I am dressed for comfort. But, I love this image. I love that my eyes are closed, and I am enjoying her kiss. I love that she is looking out of the corner of her eye, and that light is deliciously gorgeous. I am stepping in front of the camera more, and cherishing who I am as a Mother. And I hope other beautiful Mums will do the same.