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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2016 letter to the readers PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Jordan, Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad OPERATIONS Stephanie Maldonado Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Gemma Bruce, Bella's mom Bret Hammond twins Joshua & Caleb, Ellie & Michael's dad DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY DEBRA CAFFREY LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine All too soon, it will be time for school. Our children's fresh-smelling sup- plies will be laid out at the ready, backpacks fully stocked, love notes in lunchboxes inscribed with senti- ment. Our cameras will hang proudly around our necks as we walk to the bus stop. We'll make sure to snap a bunch at the door, the sidewalk, with family members, and at the top of the giant steps of the bus. We'll upload the pictures to the computer, send an entire album to grandparents, and smile in solidarity later in the day, scroll- ing through our Facebook newsfeed as we "like" our friends' shots of their own children holding "First Day of First Grade!" chalkboard signs placed delicately in front of coordinated summer dresses and cutesy sandals. In this day and age, we have so much technology to help preserve the memories of our children. There are fancy Nikons, the convenience of phones, photoshopping tools, Pinterest ideas for themed photo sessions, even webinars instructing us on how to take better photos of our children. And perhaps all of this plus the instant accessibility of modern life's most private moments can pressure us to try to make each photo as perfect as we can. And we can't blame ourselves for this. As we look back on the bounty of photos, we pause, realizing how fast time seems to go. Our precious babies smile back at us from the image and we are stunned to grasp that they are no longer babies at all. Why wouldn't we want to capture every moment we can? They are all so fleeting, and when the shock at the passage of time leaves us chilly, the photos are there to warm us with comforting memory. As fall approaches and school days are filled with milestones, let's not lose sight of why we want to encapsulate these moments in the first place. There is no need for perfection or trendiness. Perhaps the outtakes we're so quick to delete capture the essence of children better than the ones we spend time perfecting. Fuzzy, out of focus toddlers running in the distance, squinted eyes from the morning sun, and the mischievous look on small faces that don't want to stand still – these "throw away" shots may be the ones that define child- hood most. Whether posed or imperfectly candid, whatever images we cherish, may they bring us blissfully back to our children's youth with hap- piness, and with the knowledge that the memories that live in our hearts are flawlessly precious no matter what. Picture Imperfect