Personally, I don’t spend my time and energy doing “extras” unless they have personal significance for my family. Instead, these extras need to serve our needs instead of arbitrary standards set by social media. That doesn’t mean that signs and other extras are bad! I admire my friend’s ability to deftly decorate a chalkboard with swirly, multi-colored writing for her son’s first day of kindergarten. Neither are fancy birthday parties, elaborate bento boxes, or anything else crafty. As one of my friends said, “Having or not having a sign is NOT indicative of whether you’re a good parent or not.” All children need certain things from their parents: love, hugs, acceptance, food, shelter, safety, and attention. The amount of time and effort we put into “extras” doesn’t signify our love for our children. Nor was I going to feel guilty or “less than” for skipping it. While it would have been nice, I wasn’t going to increase my substantial sleep debt and stress level to do so. No, I wanted to make one because “everyone else” did. Smiling, looking at the camera, and staying still were already challenging enough for a three-year-old. He could care less if he had a sign or not! In fact, it would just make one more thing to worry about during the photo-taking process. I realized feeling like I “should” make one had nothing to do with my kid’s well-being. “You can do it this week and say you forgot!” or “You can use Photoshop!” My friends cleverly suggested a few work-arounds.
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