Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I only give you snapshots

A quick snapshot of my life

As I stand at the stove stirring dinner, the late afternoon sunlight flooding the kitchen, and I smile at my children's activities: 

  • Elise creates a picture. The digits of pi meander across her page in changing colors and shapes so they look like a slice of pie.  
  • Ryan is deep into composing another song, he just finished "Life in the ER" and is now making "Afternoon Computer Time". 
  • Ethan dances around the house with the black foam cylinders he reclaimed from the outside garbage can, calling out all the things he is going to make with them.  
  • Kirsti fills out a reading log.  She is reading Sea of Monsters, not too shabby for the second grade.
  • Joseph and Matthew giggle as they play a game of catch with a bouncy ball.

This snapshot of my children is perfect, beautiful. They are creative, intelligent, wonderful.


It is a true portrait.

But let's shift the camera and take another picture, within moments of the first.

I dump a jar of spagehetti sauce into a pan, surrounded by a kitchen I didn't have time to clean today (and possibly yesterday).

  • Elise has left a huge mess of papers and pens all over the table, right before dinner (again).
  • Ryan bangs on the piano, the careful set notes now replaced by nonsensical (and loud) noise.
  • A villainous laugh escapes from Ethan as he swings his foam cylinder and chases a screaming Kirsti.
  • Joseph and Matthew have decided to see which they can break faster with balls: their noses, their legs, or my ceramic pots.

This is another snapshot of my children.  Exasperating, loud, messy.

It is a true portrait.

The Moral?

Funny thing about life...

It isn't a snapshot; a portrayal of life at any given moment can never give the whole story.  Two incompatible portraits, both true.  I wouldn't be lying if I showed you either one.


Some people only display one sort of life's snapshots for others.  Although it is all I see of them, I know better than to assume it is the only type they ever see.


_________________

My beautiful blogger today is East of Eden (her pseudonym and blog name).  I met her of Mormon Mommy Blogs and added her as a friend on twitter (@theatomicmom).  From her love of history to her conservative politics to her adjustment to becoming a stay at home mother, I relate to her very well.  One of those people you meet who seem to be eerily like yourself, just living a very different life somewhere else.

35 comments:

  1. I love this...I can always tell what frame of mind I am in by how I am "seeing" a certain day. Let's just go with your first scenario. It sounds lovely.

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  2. This post is freakin' brilliant. Love.

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  3. Second what Damsel said--this post if brilliant. I really liked that. You caught the dichotomy very well.

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  4. Well...THANK YOU Charlotte! I feel very flattered today! :)

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  5. Ah, the Jekyll and Hyde of our children! Love the pictures for illustration!

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  6. That sounds like well rounded life. Just take the time to enjoy the good stuff and ignore the bad.

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  7. Way to go super smart super mom! It really was awesome!

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  8. Love those photos, and matching PJs.

    This post is so true. Even if a family seems perfect on the outside, there's always a disorganized mess on the inside. :-)

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  9. this is so true. i really don't like it when people try to convince you that a perfects snapshot is the only option, and we need to remember that snapshots NEVER come out perfect every time. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. That is why I wish my kids came with a remote control. I want to pause those snapshots. Those good perfect moments. So then they won't degrade into the moments that make me want to stick my head in an oven.

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  11. Hey just visiting from BlogHer. Your post was on my ads and thought I would say hi! Glad I did. Nice to "meet" you.

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  12. I loved this post. It showed the true duplicity in all our lives. And I love knowing that there is a little chaos along with the joy in everyone elses lives too. :-)

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  13. I love how you write a post, so creative, so visual. I really enjoy the glimpses you give us and admire you as a mother. Thanks for this, it makes me look at my day with new perspective.

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  14. Amazing post Charlotte. So many ways to view a picture. To view a moment. You capture so much with these words AND the pictures. What a beautiful family you have!

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  15. Yup, the snapshot is changed depending on what glasses we are wearing. Or what the kids are throwing or messing up. :)

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  16. What a perfect post for the blog world. Often, if we aren't careful, we judge another person based on ONE post. One post cannot tell you about that person. Often, they will post two incompatible pieces, but each reflects who they really are.

    Of course this metaphor could extend to those we meet around the neighborhood as well.

    Excellent, Charlotte.

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  17. LOVE those pictures! I need to remind myself that most of what I see of other peoples' lives is only a snapshot. I can't tell you how many times I've met someone who turns out to be totally different than what I thought I knew about them. I'm so glad to find out you guys have a quiet, calm, creative side at your house as well. heheh. just kidding. :-)

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  18. When you are done taking snapshots, go to my blog. I left you a little something!

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  19. I focus way too much on the second version of my own children, and it's quite depressing. I think about how I would not like to be a child living with a stressful/stressed out mom, which motivates me to try to put the rose-colored glasses on. That's the topic of my recent prayers, to get those rosy glasses more often.

    On another note, that first picture of your kids lined up nice and neatly reminded me of the whistle scene from "Sound of Music". It gave me a chuckle, as well as pause to think about what it takes to keep those (my) kids in line. Being a cranky parent is not worth it...right?

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  20. This is really great Charlotte. Balance is what I'm after...the good, the bad and the ugly...and in a family--the great Life Laboratory we see it all, don't we?
    Gotta keep it real!

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  21. Its perfect!! I forget some days i need a different snapshot

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  22. What a great post. So true! I love the picture of your family at the aquarium.

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  23. Too, too cute! I love the picture. My Grandmother has one of all the Grandkids that's very similar. The only difference is that we ranged from ages 1-25 (and we still were goofy).

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  24. Were those homemade PJs? And I love those moments when they are all busy in their own little "whatever" moments.

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  25. Charlotte, in this moment, for this post, you are my hero.

    I think it's hard to remember this when we're looking at those people who seem to always have it together. No one knows what their life is like one minute to the next; only what they allow us to see in public (in real life or on their blog).

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  26. Love it Charlotte! So much truth to this.

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  27. It is always good to step back and see the perfect side of things.

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  28. Charlotte, I love the new header, but it's too wide! In my browser, you get cut off (I'm assuming that's you) unless I scroll all the way over.

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  29. I adjusted it to make it smaller (hopefully).

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  30. How did I miss this post last week? So glad that I found it!

    This post is really wonderful, Charlotte, and it epitomizes why I love visiting you here: you don't pretend to be someone you're not; you show all the sides of being a parent and of being alive. I'm grateful to you for the honest snapshots you provide.

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  31. Amen to what Kristen@Motherese wrote. That is what I have always admired about you. Thanks for your perfectly imperfect blog posts. I love'em!!

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