By Guest Blogger Heather Keenan

Ah, the selfie. Love it or hate it, it has absolutely changed the world of communication forever. And as far as I can tell, it has changed motherhood forever, too.

Yes, I selfie. I selfie solo, with my kids, with my husband and with my dog. And you know what?  I love it and am in no way ashamed or embarrassed to admit it.

Now look, before you rip me a new one about being self absorbed and letting technology ruin the bliss of watching my children play, know this….I’m well aware that it is absolutely ridiculous that we now have a generation that validates themselves so much they feel the need to snap a selfie every time their hair is laying the right way. I get that. I, also, am fully aware that it is not acceptable to care more about your online life, etc. than it is to watch Billy cross the monkey bars for the first time. Hear me out.

Think back to the days of family albums. Oh yes, those wonderful albums full of semi embarrassing baby/toddler photos with dad being silly and your annoying little brother crying in every shot. Those were the days, right?  Well, where is mom?  You know, the woman who carried you, birthed you, wiped your butt, I could go on. Where is that wonderful woman??  She’s busy and she doesn’t have time to run in front of the camera every time Uncle Eddie wants to snap a shot of the fam. She’s making lunch, she’s cleaning the bathroom, she’s making sure the fridge is stocked. And you know what?  She’s beautiful.

Nowadays, we mothers are just as busy as those mothers in the photo album days. To be honest, we may be even busier, however; where are we now?  We are in the pictures!  We are a part of those albums. No longer are moms in the background.  There we are, makeup-less at the pool, beautiful. There we are, sweaty at the park, beautiful. Sometimes we even get to snap a shot, all done up, ready to hit a PTA meeting!  And right beside us, are those wonderful humans that made us into beautiful moms in the first place. Nothing is better than looking back at photos and seeing, not only your child’s happy smiling face, but yours, too, right beside your child’s.

Moral of the story?  Snap those selfies of you and your kiddos as much as you would like to. Who cares what people think about it?  Those pictures aren’t for anyone but you and if you do decide to post them for all to see, they should consider themselves lucky to be let into your memories. How amazing will it be to sit down, with your grown children, one day and go through all of those shots.  Do it.  And do it now. Have a way for your kids to remember what you looked like, day to day.  Have a way for YOU to remember. Don’t be in the background, moms.  Be right there, in the front, smiling because you’re hot and sweaty and climbing the stairs to slide down that slide “one more time, Mom!”.  Be beautiful!!

Disclaimer:  I am, in no way, a conceded person. I am however very proud. I’m proud of my kids and I’m proud of myself and what better way to show that than with a picture. Be proud of yourselves, moms. You’re awesome.

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