I told the kids a while ago that every kid will get for her/his 12th birthday a photo album from me.
The oldest niece has just turned 12 so I was working on the project for few weeks. The album turned out to be awesome (even the kid loved it!). It is full of photos of her - when she was with me. I am only on three photos (one is when I am holding her in my arm for the very first time). On all the other photos she is alone or with other kids when we had fun days together. I am not on the photo, but I was always on the other part of the camera. It feels special - that very moment the child was looking at me and I captured this moment.
Instead of ordering a photo book I preferred to buy a real good quality photo album (I found a pretty light pink one) and have the photos developed. With each photo I wrote a date and a line or two.
I hope that she keeps the photo album forever. This way she will be able to see that I was an important person of her childhood.
The next photo album project: will be done in two years. I am looking forward to it already now.
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Part of the photo of me, holding her for the very first time. I can still remember how heartbroken I was when she arrived (I was just after another failed IVF). How glad am I that those hard years of infertility are over!
This album is also a memory of the time when I was cool aunt. Now she is almost a teenager so whenever I invite her somewhere, it is always the same reply "No, thank you."
What a great idea! It sounds like a wonderful and thoughtful gift.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fabulous idea! She will treasure that.
ReplyDeleteI gave my niece a photobook for her 18th birthday, she loved it. I put basically every photo I had of me and her in it. It's hard sometimes to be 'just' an aunt. Here in Ireland where everyone has plenty of siblings, and 3-4 kids is the norm, you often hear quite scathing & flippant comments about how low in the pecking order, and how distant, aunts, uncles and cousins are ... Families are quite insular here and everything revolves around immediate family. It's also hard to witness your niece's/nephew's adoration of you when they are little turn into tedium and non-interest... I like your idea of doing regular photo projects; I think I'll do an updated photobook when mine is 21!
ReplyDeleteHi, no, this niece won't get another photo album from me in 2 years. It is the other niece - who is now 10 - she will get it then.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think that I will spend much time with my almost teenage niece, so there won't be any more additional photos and this means there is no need for another album.
Yes, it is hard to see this change into non-interest. It will be easier with the next kid.
I made photo albums for my niece and nephew when they graduated from high school. I put in every picture I had of them growing up. They hadn't seen a lot of the photos so it was really fun. It's not the same as parenting at all, but at least I got to be an aunt. <3
ReplyDeleteDear Klara, I absolutely love your attitude: "I decided not to be bitter about it but instead do something about it" - you are a real role model <3.
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