Over and Over Again (In A Good Way!) - Family Photography Kitchener-Waterloo
Over and over again. The light switch, the faucet, the stairs; standing, walking, climbing. Kids practise and practise until they understand how something works, or succeed at something they want to do. It’s amazing and mundane all at once, isn’t it? Something that seems so everyday to us is endlessly fascinating to a kid.
Over and over again. This little guy loves to select the perfect small stones and sticks, and toss them off the walking bridge into the little stream below. His focus and concentration are matched only by the joy he exudes as he declares, “No way!” in answer to “Would you like to do something else now?”
Over and over again, he collects the perfect items, passing them to his parents, then walks partway across the bridge, and puts them through the metal rails one at a time, watching them fall into the stream.
The sun is high, the breeze is warm, and it’s one of those days that just might stretch on forever in the quiet of the forest. These parents have patiently watched their son do this same routine, day after day, but they haven’t tired of it. They’re enamoured with him, and he’s content to be very busy doing his thing, with the security of Mommy and Daddy nearby.
Over and over again, back and forth across the bridge, up and down the path. Big happiness in small things.
One day he’ll ask his parents what he was like when he was this age, not yet 2 years old but more than 1. They’ll tell him he was so focused, so determined, so interested in the world around him, and so happy outside for hours at a time. And they’ll show him these images so he can see how they spent time together, how his personality was already forming, how independent he already was becoming, and how much fun they had doing this small, repeated activity that felt like such a big adventure to him.
Over and over again: it’s true of all kids, isn’t it? They love repetition in activity, in humour, in music, in books, until one day they just move on to something different. And while sometimes that’s a bit of a relief, it’s also a bit sad, because they’ll never feel the same way about the thing they once loved so much. But your memories of that stage of their growth, and their own memories of that moment in their lives, are shaped by the small, repeated, day-to-day activities that feel so important to them at the time. They may not always feel worth documenting in the moment, but the truth is, the moment will pass, the repetition will cease, and they’ll be into a new stage of growing up. That’s why I love to create images like these for families. I love to capture these small moments that become beautiful memories for you and your family.
What are the small, repeated activities that your kids love right now, or the ones they used to love? Come over to Facebook and let me know!