My Husband Works All Day...{Kansas City Child Photographer}

I hear that a lot, when I'm getting people scheduled for their sessions....so I schedule without Dad. Or we do an evening or a weekend, where possible. Usually I can get Daddy in for the newborn session because he takes a few days off after Baby arrives....that's always fun.

But when I was scheduling someone this morning for a session, and she said "Oh, my husband cant come, he works all day", I really for some reason started obsessing on that issue....and it sort of ties in with where all of our heads are these days...the economy.

How do these 2 issues tie together? I'll tell you (like you would be able to stop me, right?)

You have a child, and for the most part, Mom stays home (or stays home part-time) with the kids. Dad works all day....comes home, tired, but happy to spend a couple of hours with his family before baths, books and bedtimes roll around. So Dad doesn't really see the kids as much as Mom does...so he isn't the first one to get that first smile, see that first step or enjoy that first lost tooth grin. And those moments, as we all know, disappear in a heartbeat....never to come again.

So how does Dad get to experience his kids day-to-day milestones? In photographs, of course. Mostly snapshots....I have my share of blurry snaps where my shutter lag was so bad that my kid moved on before the flash fired...leaving me with an out of focus wobbly head leaving the frame. But why do we settle for only those....why do we not want more for our family?

Maybe some do, but think they cant afford it, in "this" economy.

Lets think about it though....what is so important in your life that you would do anything for it?

Your family, right?

Do you look at your child's baby pictures and smile? I do....and believe me, I'm happy I have anything, because honestly, 2 kids later, I don't really remember how small the boys were in that first few weeks....I try to remember, but I don't. In fact, its difficult for me to tell who is who in the little blurry snaps from those days. I truly wish I had professional newborn photographs of my boys (and my pregnancies). I don't. I didn't take them, and I didn't hire someone to do it. Now its too late for me.

Do you have photographs of that first smile? Your baby sitting up (wow, remember how COOL that was...no more lying on the floor all day watching the baby stare at the ceiling fan)? Your baby's first birthday? His second, fifth? How about his tenth?

Probably some...but are they the kind that capture the essence of your child at that time in his life? Or, like me, do you struggle to remember.

So since Dad works all day, and is missing his kids like mad (mine calls to talk to the boys after school, pumps them for info at the dinner table, and loves when I send him any images I capture of them)...why not invest in something better for him (and for yourself).

(Even better....get Dad to come for a session with the family...it will mean so much to everyone).

"But we should be saving our money" "We need to cut back on our spending" "We are in a terrible recession"

True, but in times of economic crisis, we turn inward, to our families, to our memories...we should make every effort to preserve those family memories, even MORE in times like these...

Because its more important than money, folks. Its about Time...Time Lost or Time Stopped....its your choice.

That cart full of useless junk from Target costs $250...is that what is more important that stopping the cold march of time? I don't think you really think that. I know I don't.