Humor Life Parenting

Am I Selfish? The Mom and the Selfie Stick

As a mom, I have to play "Where's Waldo" to find myself in any family photo. So I bought a selfie stick. Does this make me selfish and vain?

By Liv of Live By Surprise

I don’t generally approve of the whole “selfie” craze. Kimmie and her “Selfish” book (which, damnit, I’m not linking to because that girl gets so much spotlight I’m surprised she doesn’t have a perma-tan) are, as far as I’m concerned, part of what’s wrong with today’s society. People are so engrossed in themselves and in their “smart” phones that they’re getting stupider by the minute.

Today, however, I went out and purchased a “selfie-stick.” Not because I want to take pictures of myself behind the wheel of my car with a perma-duckface. Not because I’m self absorbed and vain.

Just for one reason and one only: I have very few pictures with either myself and Hubs or with myself and my children. Or the whole family.

I call it the “Where’s Waldo” effect. Except instead of Waldo, it’s me you have to search hard for in our family photos.

As the mom, I’ve become the default photographer in our family. Our honeymoon: there’s a ton of pics of scenery and a number of Hubs. There are two of me alone. And three of us together. Those ones only because I propped the camera in the hotel room and set the timer.

I can get in the pic if there happens to be someone else in our house at the time of an event. I can get in the pic if I take the extra time to set up the tripod and trip the timer on the camera. I can get in the pic if Hubs uses his gorilla arms and takes one of both of us (but we usually can’t fit the kids in frame, and generally there’s no scenery because we monopolize the frame).

I’m not knocking Hubs either — he does try. But it usually falls to me, and as a result, I’m always just out of frame.

Perhaps selfishly my selfie stick is a way of ensuring that not only will I be able to get some nice pics that include scenery, but it will also cement memories for my kids. Visual evidence of us smiling and having fun.

I’m no Kimmie…but maybe I am just a bit selfish.

Do your family photos suffer from the “Where’s Waldo” effect?

This post was originally published on Live By Surprise.

**********

About Liv

Liv is the pseudonym for a rocking forty year old working mother of three who remarried after a terrible divorce, had a terrible car accident and almost lost her leg, and yet continues to have a positive attitude.  Her work has been featured on ScaryMommy, HuffPost and The Mid – and she’s a contributing writer atDivorcedMoms.com. You can find her blog at http://www.livebysurprise.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Live-By-Surprise/1398449490408806
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/livebysurprise