‘Life’s a Journey’ series. Week 1: My earliest baby photo
It’s a new year, so time, thought I, to start a more regular series of posts to this family stories Blog.
As you know by now, my obsession is the preservation of our family stories and memories for future generations. Our children are unlikely to ever ask us about our past until they themselves feel a sense of mortality, by which time it may well be too late, as I found to my cost. The photographs of my mother’s early years may sit in their box, but they lack narrative and context which I am unable to provide since I was simply not there and now neither is she.
A determination to ensure that this doesn’t happen to another generation has led me to this point. It is a parent’s obligation to capture for safe-keeping the memories which we make with our children each and every day as they grow and learn. Our legacy for them, all laid out in pictures and words.
Each Tuesday I will revisit a memory from some part or other of my life, and the idea is that you join in and do the same! Don’t leave me exposed, man.
There will be moments of fun, moments of sadness, and probably some bad hair errors, but don’t be put off.
Post an entry to your own Blog and use the Linky tool (link below) to enter your memories into the fray. If you like, just leave a comment and join in that way, but do join in.
If you feel sexy, grab the code too (just follow the link) and post it into your Blog entry – that way, everyone can pay it forward as they say – it’s good to share.
I am throwing down the gauntlet this week with the first in the series:-
My Earliest Baby Photo
I believe I was about 5 days old in this photo, taken in 1967.
I was born on the bed in the very same house in which my parents spent the almost 50 years of their marriage together until mum passed away. Dad still lives there now.
If mum were alive, there is an outside chance that she might be shouting, “That’s a photo of your brother, you idiot.” But since she can’t really complain, I will go with it. It looks like me anyway….
I also recently found this rather moving letter which my dad wrote to me shortly after the birth of my youngest son. It still makes me weep buckets that my amazing but insular father could feel like this and never have told me….until just months after we lost mum. Amazing what a baby’s birth can do to a man. I love you, dad.
Now, go and find that photo of yourself when you were just a tiny pink squidge in a blanket, post it to your blog and tell us something about it (or just share a baby-me story in the comments), then post a link to it here for us to find…
Please visit the other blogs on the list and leave a comment or two – it makes everyone’s day!
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If you had to pick just one, what would be your definitive memory of childhood?
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SaveEveryStep (@saveeverystep) January 06, 2012Like this:
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SaveEveryStep.com, where you can put your lifetime on a multimedia timeline for freeAbout the Author, Helen Spencer
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How lovely Sadly I do not have any photos of me as a baby
That is such a shame. I just read some of your story, and I would put money on the fact that you are going to make damn sure your kids have plenty of memories to look back on later in life…..Make them plentiful and preserve them as their legacy as they grow. They’ll be priceless, just like the memories that went with them. Best wishes and thanks so much for saying hi!
Loved reading your memories here. After moving house in 2008 it dawned on me that although I had hundreds (or probably thousands!) of photos of my 2 year old and baby, they were all digital and stored only on computer. I made it my resolution for 2009 that I would print out all the best photos, put them in albums and record who/where/when etc. I now spend much of each January uploading hundreds of photos for printing, sifting through for the best ones to display (ALL get kept, the not-so-best ones go in a photo index box) and lovingly catalogue each one resulting in a family yearbook for each year. I consciously build memories throughout the year and photograph as many as I can so we can look back as a family and see what we did each year. Weddings, parties, starting school, holidays, getting a family dog and just general fun in and out the house is all there. I personally love looking at them and my kids, although still very young, enjoy looking back at people / places etc. that their young memories may otherwise struggle to recall. It also really helps me through January as I reflect on all the good stuff we’ve done so far and plan what to get up to this year.
That’s fantastic. It’s so vital that we, as parents, take seriously our obligations to preserve their childhoods for them, after all they will need reminding of these memories later in life if they were too young to remember them alone.
Thanks so much for popping in and taking the time to share.
You’re welcome! Am considering taking up blogging myself this year so may be popping in a lot more!
It’s a deal. Tell your friends, I DO love a good chat!
I put my first and my last picture of me and mum together in a special memory book, it makes me appreciate the time we did have even more. Such a wonderful letter, your Dad sounds amazing. I don’t have many letters form my Dad, but those I do have are very precious!
A memory book is a great idea. Aftre mum died, I spent hours going through photos to try and find some of her with me. Just nothing. What a terrible regret that I didn’t see it as important enough to take some whilst she was still around.
Love your itheme and comments from other bloggers. One of my ideas for this year is to compile a Book of Personal Memories, drawn from blog postings and my large collection of family photographs.
See: http://scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-earliest-baby-photo-lifes-journey.html
You really must find the time to do it. If you’re stuck for a resource to help, try SaveEveryStep.com It’s free to use up to 100mb and places your memories along a chronological timeline. Life, in the order it happened, basically. Good luck with your project, whatever you use!!!! Thanks for popping along to say hi!
Great idea, I love photos and family history, it’s my Mum’s passion too and she has spent hundreds of hours making a book on each member of the family with photos and stories.
Thanks. Your mum should be applauded for her patience and forethought. It’s a compulsion that comes with age, I think….maybe an awareness of our own mortality and what we’re leaving behind for our kids. I am truly grateful you came and said hello!
Hi there,
Thanks for reading my blog, and ‘liking’ it. I will post a baby photo of me on my blog – Painfullyaboutme.wordpress.com
My favorite has me being held by my Dad.
Thanks,
meg
You’re so welcome. I can’t wait to see your pic!!! Helen