"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet,
simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
I have the blogs I normally read, the ones I read daily (like the ones in my 'bloggers i heart' tab). Then, occasionally, I stumble on the random blog.
The random blog yesterday was a girl with 50 trillion followers and a daughter named Plum, among other things. I will never be this cool or this indie, but the chick had it all down- a husband with a scraggly beard and skinny jeans, kids with homemade clothes, a pair of vintage heels, and crafts galore. She seemed like the kind of person to need to have kids just so there was the opportunity to name someone Plum, in fact. I shuffled though post after post of her being a mother, and while I could admire her photography skills (or maybe, her husband's), I ended up feeling like an inadequate mom at the end.
Why can't I be cool? Because it's just not me. I'm not a super creative person, and my photos don't make things look much better than they look in real life. I pouted about this for a little while last night. And then I thought about it logically.
Will Millie care that her name isn't Indie-film Bird Sweetness? No. She will probably thank me for not naming her that someday. Will she care that her childhood wasn't documented in perfect (and probably, sometimes staged) pictures detailing every moment of our lives together? Will it mean she won't look back to see how much I love her? Absolutely not.
My pictures aren't perfect, and I'm not going bright enough to come up with elaborate tea parties or handmade stuffed animals. She's not going to be particularly impressed with my style. But, however unfocused or raw my photos are, I can say one thing about them- they are plentiful. She may not see a perfect, spotless childhood, but she will see a real one in which she's loved. I'm not saying that lady doesn't love her kids. I'm 100% sure that she does. But it doesn't take an artsy talent to show your daughter you love her.
So I closed the blog last night, and looked at my daughter with the chapped cheeks from the cold, and the pajamas that are stretching to accommodate her length, and I smiled. I'm far from a cool mom, but I have a pretty cool daughter, and that makes up for anything I lack.
5 kind comments from you:
You are totally a cool mom. I think even if Millie (a name I adore) doesn't have some indie wild and crazy name she'll probably live. And if she does hate her name she can always go by a nickname. I, too, get really jealous of the great photos I see. I know I could probably learn how to take photos like that, I'm just too lazy. And plus in my family it's the messed up photos that get the most mileage.
First, I wonder if I could convince my husband to use the name Plum. Hmmmm....
Second, I feel that very same way quite often. A lot of times my photos suck. I'm most certainly not cool. But you are right that you daughter will love you and realize how loved she was regardless of it you are cool or not.
i *would* like a pair of vintage heels someday.... ;)
hah. i know those sorts of bloggers; it seems impossible the cuteness and creativeness that overflows from the site. :P
but hey, if the whole world was made up of those sorts, then where would we be?
um......i don't know.
but we're good the way we are.
and i like you. the way you are.
:)
p.s. i'm not sure what i would feel if my parents named me plum. like for real? a fruit name? it's a nice word to describe a paint color on a wall, but for a person....i don't know about that one. plus, kids/siblings might make some pretty awful nicknames for that name. :}
She most definitely will thank you for not naming her after a fruit. And for awhile, she will think you are the coolest mom out there. Cherish that :)
What do you mean you're not cool? I think you're beyond cool! And as long as your daughter thinks you're cool, that's all that matters. :)
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