In our family, I have been taking Back to School and Last Day of School photos of my kids forever. Somewhere in the mix, I acquired the board in the article photo and started adding it in as a fun prop. As my kids have gotten older, the prop has transitioned into a plain black chalkboard that they hold and I use chalk markers to write their name, school, year and date.
In the beginning, for the most part, my kids loved posing for the photos and filling out the board with their interests. It was a fun way to catalog that small moment in time and what their interests were. As they have gotten older, the first day of school photos are met with a bit less enthusiasm and it's more of a how quickly can we get this done moment. At this point, they know they have to take the photo before they leave so they manage to put on their best early morning smile and then move along with their day. This same tradition applies to Last Day of School photos as I bring out the board and take those photos as well.
Now that my son has gotten older and is halfway through high school (insert denial here), he has mentioned that for his high school graduation, I need to do something with all of these photos. I'll be honest, I've been taking these photos because I wanted snapshots of these memories and it seemed like that's what you do. Take photos of all the milestones. I didn't have any big plans. BUT now the pressure is on and I need to come up with a creative idea for his senior year and graduation for these photos. (And hopefully I can find them all).
So, does your family take Back to School photos? Is it a chore or do your kids love to get their photo taken? Do you take them in the same spot, with the same sign or some other fun tradition? I know someone who has all of the Toy Story character toys and sets them up on the step and has photos of her kids waving with them in the photo. That is next level amazing! Whatever your tradition is, keep it up! You may have the craziest outfit, smile or other look given, but you will be so happy to have these memories. If you haven't taken them, it's not too late to start!
One day, you may be like me with a child asking to see all of those photos. You'll be glad you took them. And also looking for a box of tissues because let's be honest. We don't want our kids to grow up so fast!
