This is one of those posts that pretty much wrote itself.

The scene: Mother’s Day.  I have already admitted how much I love coordinating my outfits with Zoe’s.  Naturally, we needed to do this for Mother’s Day and then have a mother-daughter photo shoot! FABULOUS! With visions of perfect lighting and charming expressions, I convinced David to be our photographer and headed to a nice photo spot.

“Zoe, smile!” we said.

This was our response.

“Come on, smile!”

“Please? Smile?”

“What do you want to do, babe?” David asked.

I knew what SHE wanted to do.  And I decided to let her do it.

“Let’s let her run.”

My daughter isn’t a “stand still and pose for a photo shoot” kind of girl right now—she’s an “explore and run around” kind of girl.  And it turns out that letting her be herself is way more beautiful than anything that I could create with the right camera angles.

Oh, and I got the mother-daughter shot I wanted.

It’s not the most flattering angle, we’re not looking at the camera, and we’re sitting on the dirty street in dresses.  But it shows what I’m learning: to love my child where she’s at.  

In toddlerhood, Zoe is the most unencumbered and free version of herself that she will ever be. I want to love this person, this gift, as she is.  I want her to emerge from toddlerhood knowing confidently, I am smart.  I am beautiful.  I am worthy.  I am understood.  I am loved for who I am and where I’m at.  

It’s a tall order to teach all this.  But this photo shoot gives me hope that maybe I’m getting somewhere.

(A special thanks to my husband for fearlessly throwing himself into the street to get these shots!)