So serendipity steps in when I get an e-mail from my DIL with Hope’s school pictures in it.
I wish I could show you the class photo but obviously I can’t post other folk’s children. There are 8 adorable infants and toddlers in a pretty blue and white room. They are Infant Class B. The head teacher and her two assistants are each holding two children and then Hope and one other child are in high chairs up front. Hope is looking toward her teacher and has her “ugh, this is not where I want to be” pained expression on.
My DIL is really upset about this. It’s clear that Hope wanted to be held and my DIL feels they shouldn’t have taken the photo until she smiled or someone should have held Hope and put one of the others in the chair. Hope is clearly one of the oldest of the eight and one of the largest and I’m certain that’s what determined who sat on their own.
Plus can you imagine getting eight infants to all look forward and smile at the same time!
These are the two solo portraits. Perhaps not Hope at her finest but it is her serious look, a look I adore since it’s a hint into her thoughtful nature.
The school did NOT tell the parents that photos were being taken. My DIL (and I bet all the other moms) is upset about that as well. With notice Hope would have been “dressed to the nines”.
Something tells me that’s why the school didn’t tell anyone. I can just see it – bows and fussy dresses and patent leather shoes.
And I wonder how many Moms would have just happened to stop by to direct the photo session.
So this Nana says kudos to the school. I’ll never forget when my baby brother came home from first grade with his class picture. He had tears in his eyes and was both angry and heartbroken because he had overheard one of the moms saying that he looked like a “refugee”. We were the neighborhood poor kids.
They don’t need to learn status at infancy.
I truly do get that Moms want their children to always be presented in the best light but who they are and what they're doing at any given candid moment IS their best light.
34 comments:
Right on, Dianne. And honestly, moms (especially 1st time moms) of toddlers are THE WORST!! LOL. Hope's school would've been a 3 ring circus if the parents had known.
That breaks my heart about your brother. People can be so thoughtless and cruel.
I think the school knew exactly what would have happened if they had announced it...smart move
You would think the mothers would simply be happy that the daycare did this. I can't imagine many do. Those photos of Hope are FAR better than most school photos. Just wait until they get to a regular school--they can look forward to many, many bad photos to come. LOL!
Such a terrible thing to happen to your brother in first grade. Kids can be cruel enough but adults should know better. Truly.
About the dress competition -- you'd have been proud of Nicole. She found a $10 prom dress at a vintage clothing store. Not only did she get an incredible bargain but we had a lot of fun perusing vintage stores in the process. :) Her shoes were more than her dress--they were $20. She has classmates, though, who spent hundreds. We both thought that was ridiculous. I didn't even spend that much on my wedding dress!
Yay, Nana! You are so right.
Wait until she's in high school. I'm afraid you will learn all over again about one-upmanship.
NY schools are the worst too. They seem to encourage it. I was so lucky to have 3 out of my 4 who seemed to agree with me that it was dumb. (The 4th was always jealous of her schoolmates.)
....and I forgot to thank you for your kind words, Dianne. I'm sorry about that. Thanks, you're quite a exceptional lady yourself :-)
When I started resding this post and you said something about Hope's School Class--I thought-Have I been in a time-warp? HOPE is in School already??? (lol)
I LOVE that picture of Hope. I think what I love about it is she is so 'herself'....I know I don't know her, but there is such a mind behind those beautiful eyes....And she is sooooo very pretty! A "person"---sitting there, looking out at all of us. Perfect.
Oh, yes, Nana! How right you are! And Hope doesn't need any fancy clothes as she is totally adorable just as she is! I can't believe she's already this big!! Seems like just last month I was seeing the pictures of her right after they brought her home from the hospital! Jeez! time flies whether you're having fun or not!!! Give her a hug for me!
Sylvia
I can't imagine Hope has a bad expression. While we're on the subject, when has Hope ever not been dressed to the nines? She's adorable. She's always camera ready.
mrs d - you're welcome sweetie, I adore you and always want to adopt you :)
vinny - exactly!!
lisa - I love Nicole even more. It doesn't surprise me though, her parents have solid values and she takes their lead. I bet she'll look gorgeous!! I can't believe how fast the time has flown, I remember a picture of a little girl on a ski slope
bobbie - Jeffrey was always satisfied, even grateful for whatever he had. He was the kind of kid most likely to share :)
old old lady of the hills - you make me laugh!! I call daycare school
Hope is a person!! It comes thru in all her expressions
sylvia - and she doesn't need to be smiling and giggling in every picture either! thanks Sylvia
linda - that's what I said!! she is always dresses beautifully - I love the outfit she had on in the photos
Like the other Linda, I'm thinking Hope looks picture ready!
Adorable!! I love her outfit.
Listen, as Hope's Uncle Ronnie, I love ANY and ALL pictures of her adorable little face!!
She ROCKS in these photos!
And I think you're absolutely right about the reason for WHY the school didn't inform the parents of the photos. I went to catholic school, so we all had to wear the same thing (those dreadful uniforms). However, since we were all dressed the same, it's our face and personallity that came through, not what we were wearing.
Please give Hope a big hug from me, and tell her I think she's a supermodel.
"Supermodel Hope"
X ya's!
Well, I couldn't agree with you more. And did anyone ever in the history of the world have a school picture taken that they liked. Chill out mom. It's only one of about a million pictures that will be taken.
Gee, I'm going to be the third Linda in a row leaving a comment - and to think my Dad didn't want to name me Barbara because there were too many of them! Anyway ...
I think that Hope looks like Hope and that's wonderful! So many times kids just don't look at all like themselves in their school pictures and that's a shame as a school picture should be about the child and not what the child is wearing.
Shame on those nasty bitches who said that about your brother! Some people have no couth and/or tact!
Oh, and just on a side note - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to be a school photographer - talk about stress! Oy!
I totally agree with you. It's their faces you want to see.. their eyes.. their sweetness. Not their clothes. Hope is as always.. just gorgeous.
School? Dang she's growing up so fast.
How's she doing in physics class? ;-)
If the moms had known they were taking the pics, they would have all been there. And all the babies would have been screaming and crying and the moms would have been behaving even worse. haha
Praise the Lord that all you have to worry about with this day care is when they take the pictures! Tell DIL she is blessed, as many families don't have safe childcare.
PS Hope looks great! :)
I am going to scribble down your last line and tape it to my (physical) wall, it is so well put.
Hope is growing like a weed--no, a beautiful flower. Just gorgeous!
I do NOT envy children’s photographers. I imagine you’d need a lot more than a stiff drink at the end of that day. Like perhaps an injection of some kind.
But for Hope, the single photos all turned out fantastic, she looks adorable!
My ex wife used to go ridiculously crazy for photos with my daughter. It seemed like she’d spend a hundred or two every weekend. Still, Alexis looked adorable.
Kudos to the school. I think that these pictures really bring out Hope's personality. They are just gorgeous -as she is!
Hope can't take a bad pictue. The camera loves her.
I think we all have one school picture we remember and it is not the one where we looked wonderful.
Mine was the one day my Dad fixed my hair because my Mom was ill.
I made street kids look stylish.
You said it!
Hope looks like Nana's girl and that's all that matters. ;-)
Hope looks darling, as she always does and I agree .. all that competitive crap can wait ...
Dianne, Hope is dressed beautifully and looks adorable! :)
Nicely said, Nana.
There is, and maybe always has been, an uncomfortable competitiveness that young moms enter into. It's hard when other people's kids seem to be getting all of the glory, hard to think your deserving child is being passed by if only for a silly moment.
I agree!These will one day be the favorites! Can that Hope get any prettier??? Lawd she is beautiful!
<><
Hope looks beautiful whether she's smiling or not. :)
I totally get your view, Nana. Moms can be a pain :)
Hope is still a cutie, smiling or not.
Hugs,
I.
linda - thanks, I agree :)
kenju - me too :)
ron - Hope sends hugs right back at ya!!
ellen - I think I look a lot like a troll doll in most of my school pics ;)
linda - I have a collection of Lindas and I love them all!!
I used to work next door to a photo place and the phtographers would chain smoke in the back yard and talk about how much they hated kids and brides LOL
hil - she's always present, her eyes always say something and that's what I adore about her photos
that and the fact that she makes "Nana" looks LOL
jay - she's not much for science and math but she loves shop class
she fixed my car!! she's low to the ground and that helps a lot ;)
mrs c - amen to that!! it's a beautiful place with good caring people and they are lucky to be able to afford it
ds - what a wonderful compliment, thank you!
scott - Oy! a couple hundred each weekend Oy!
I would imagine Alexis looked adorable no matter what she wore :)
LadyFi - I love her serious side :)
patti - mine is the one where I had sunburn. I had bright red hair as a child, fire engine red
that plus the sunburn made me look like giant beet
pagan - we have these moments when she looke deep into my eyes and I swear she's reading my mind :)
daryl - thanks auntie daryl :)
mary - thanks :)
kerry - I do remember feeling that way when my son played little league
noe noe - thank you so much!!
akelamalu - thank you, I'm partial to her serious looks :)
ivanhoe - thanks kid :)
She does look quite serious, but also cute.
Spontaneity is always better. Cheers Di!!
Parents eh!
What do they know?
I just stopped by to get my Hope fix.
lucky for Hope, she has you in her corner. I totally agree with you about the pictures & like you, I get how her Mom feels as well.
Things often happen just as they should. Many photos I or someone else has taken of our son I thought at the time weren't the best, yet when I look back at them now, years later, they happen to be the ones I love - precisely because they captured him just as he was & that spontaneous capture preserves that memory.
Hope has an amazing face!
Not at her best? She's GORGEOUS! I like the serious look. Accentuates those exquisite eyes.
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