It’s tough to raise confident children in today’s society, where the media dictates what they should wear, eat, who they should hang out with, and how they should act to fit in. As parents, it’s our responsibility to raise their self-esteem, treading a fine line to avoid over-boosting their egos.

DISPLAYING THEIR WORKS OF ART

Many parents proudly display their child’s art, covering fridges, walls and doors.  Nothing puts a gleam in a child’s eye more than seeing something they created and worked so hard at, appreciated and displayed. That is until they see a photograph of themselves… Why is it then, that we stick the drawing they did at school that day on the fridge for all to see, yet the image of our child taking their first step or catching their first fish is forgotten on a smartphone or hard drive somewhere?

DISPLAYING THEM

Displaying photographs of our children show them that THEY matter. That we are proud of who THEY are. In addition, displaying family photographs  give them a sense of belonging and security, the knowledge that no matter what the world throws at them, they are loved and part of a unit. They are reminded of that love every time they walk past and see these portraits.

THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

David Krauss is a Cleveland clinical psychologist,  Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Musician, Professional Photographer and co-author with Jerry Fryrear of “Photo Therapy and Mental Health.” Krauss, who often uses client photographs in therapy says: “My bias is very simple. I think they (family photographs) should be on the wall”.

“I am very conservative about self-esteem and I think placing a family photo someplace in the home where the child can see it every day without having to turn on a device or click around on a computer to find it, really hits home for that child this sense of reassurance and comfort. They have a certainty about them and a protecting quality that nurtures a child. It let’s them know where they are in the pecking order and that they are loved and cared for”.

Judy Weiser is a Vancouver, BC, Canada Licensed Psychologist and Registered Art Therapist. In her book “PhotoTherapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots and Family Albums”, Weiser states her belief that photography is a great avenue to an individual’s emotional world.  “An ordinary snapshot gives form and structure to our deepest emotional states and unconscious communications. It serves as a bridge between the cognitive and the sensory, between the inner self lying below conscious awareness and the self able to be known to us, and between the self we are aware of inside and that self we are seen as by others.”

CONCLUSION

I believe art of your family created with deep passion and meticulous attention to detail creates an incredible legacy in your home, and instills self-esteem in children’s hearts as they grow. Children feel an enormous sense of belonging and are comforted knowing their place within the family when portraiture is prominently displayed in the home.

With a fine art family portrait session at Michelle Gray Photography, the beautiful moments of love will never end.