I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful family shortly before they moved to the west coast. They are vibrant and fun, well-traveled, and always on the move having new adventures :) Sue was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions regarding motherhood, memories and legacies. Keep reading to see a few of her insights!
How has becoming a mother changed you?
I’ve always known that I wanted a family, but I spent a lot of years as an adult not being “ready” for children. I went to college, then graduate school. My husband and I were married for 8 years before Marcus was born. In that time I had a challenging career as a librarian and traveled most of the West Coast of the US as well as several countries in Europe. Back then I never saw myself as a stay at home mom, but as I prepared for the arrival of my son, I slowly came to realize that’s what I wanted. Also, before my kids were born, I always thought I’d adopt a more authoritarian discipline style, but after getting to know them and trying to understand what makes them tick I’ve found that a more gentle approach works better for us. I didn’t realize how much their individual personalities would affect my decisions. Parenting is a lot more hard work than I have ever done, a level of sleep deprivation that I never thought possible, and (as sappy as this sounds, but it’s so true) more love than I thought could fit into one heart.
My children’s favorite things/memorable things that they do
Marcus’ favorite animal is the cheetah because it is fast. He is obsessed with anything speedy- cars, planes, boats, you name it. Nobody is faster than he is when he’s wearing his “fast shoes”, just ask him. He is a great singer, but you have to catch him singing spontaneously because he won’t do it if you ask. His made up songs are my favorite! Sonya gets excited about anything that she has words for which at this time includes dogs (woof!), cats, balls, water, and shoes. She is a smiley, affectionate close-talker who seems to be aware that most people think she’s adorable. Once she has discovered something that makes you laugh, she does it over and over again.
My favorite images of Marcus and Sonya
My favorite photos of Marcus and Sonya are those that my husband and I have captured by accident. The ones where they aren’t perfectly posed and smiling. I feel that’s when their personalities shine through the most and I love being reminded of their little individual quirks. I’m thinking of one in particular when we were at the Chicago Botanic Garden and we stopped playing to take a photo. They weren’t upset, but you could tell having a picture taken was not high on the list of priorities that day. I laugh every time I see it because the displeasure on their faces comes through so clearly.
My favorite images of my grandparents
I love looking through my grandma’s scrapbook from when she was a senior in high school in 1936. My grandma was one of my favorite people in the whole world when I was growing up and of course I only knew her as an “old person”, so it was such a gift for me to have a glimpse of what she was like as a young woman. The objects inside are so incredibly everyday and mundane it’s almost funny. Some things about the items and photos of my grandma and her friends, like a restaurant menu offering a toasted cheese sandwich for ten cents and clothes they wore reflect how times have changed. Some of them, like a piece of crepe paper from a football game she attended or some of her and my great aunt’s poses and facial expressions, always trying to seem a little cooler and more mature than they actually were, remind me of my own high school memories. I’d like to think if we had been the same age in the same place at the same time, we might have been friends. There is also a ticket to a local amusement park that still exists in my hometown. My grandparents, parents, husband and I have all been there as children and I’ve even been able to take Marcus there a few times to ride the rides with his cousins. It makes me wonder what small, everyday objects my own children will someday deem important enough to save for posterity.
What I hope to remember and pass down
I hope that when my children have children, I will remember how challenging this time in my life was and how other people’s advice can sometimes be unhelpful. So many people have told me, “Enjoy them while they’re little because it goes by so fast.” and while I know that is true, it’s incredibly irritating to hear when you’ve scoured the entire playground for a tiny Lego piece twice, gotten poop on your favorite outfit, and had to clean up the umpteenth food mess of the day. I love spending time with my kids and I realize how lucky I am to be able to stay home, but I have some very tiring days that feel like they’re never going to end. I don’t want to invalidate those feelings for them when they go through the same thing.
As for their future, I hope I can help my children to have enough confidence in themselves to follow their own paths, to be free spirited, to not be afraid to question, and to decide on their own what is best for themselves. I’m slowly discovering that as a mom, it’s difficult to find a balance between setting firm boundaries and allowing enough leeway to make independent choices. I don’t have that quite figured out yet, but I’m learning every day.
Thank you so much for your beautiful words, Sue!
Christina Freeman specializes in family, newborn, children and maternity portraits in the Dallas, TX and surrounding areas including Lewisville, The Colony, Richardson, Addison, Plano, Prosper, Frisco, Allen, Wylie, McKinney, Princeton and other Dallas suburbs.
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