Portraits - the Motherhood series.
I met with Victoria, a registered nurse and her daughter Samantha at a beachside cafe. It was a Saturday morning and she hadn’t yet been to bed after a night shift caring for special needs babies. It became clear right away that Victoria doesn’t sit idle for too long. She chooses to be present, always seeking out something new to do, see or experience. Quite honestly, she is FUN to be around!
Married thirty four years, Victoria met her husband when they were teenagers. Together they have four children (Rebecca, Christopher, Samantha, Jessica) who are now starting families of their own. Whilst she has very fond memories of her grandparents, Victoria admits that her relationship with her own mother isn’t close. She tells me she can count the times her mother joined her childhood activities growing up on one hand. As a result, Victoria’s approach to motherhood has been a conscious choice to get involved, to cherish and nurture the individual personalities of each of her kids. It was beautiful to watch Victoria and Sam together. There were countless hugs and laughs, an easy love between them. Her eyes light up at the mention of her grandchildren. It’s important to her to be the grandparent they want to visit and spend time with, that they create beautiful memories like she has of her own.
Victoria (rightfully) refers to motherhood as a career, rewarding, challenging and sometimes not very pleasant. But seeing her children grow up to be happy, productive members of their communities, it’s a career she is truly grateful for. We spoke about modern motherhood, how complicated it seems to have become. It can be overwhelming to navigate all of the information available to parents today. Victoria says in her experience, if it felt right for her and her family, then it generally was. Encouraged by the support of her family, she’s currently writing a book with the hope that it will provide more parents the permission to simply enjoy their little ones as they grow up.
Her biggest piece of advice?
"Enjoy the moments – the years go by too fast and they will be all grown up before you know it!"
I met with Victoria, a registered nurse and her daughter Samantha at a beachside cafe. It was a Saturday morning and she hadn’t yet been to bed after a night shift caring for special needs babies. It became clear right away that Victoria doesn’t sit idle for too long. She chooses to be present, always seeking out something new to do, see or experience. Quite honestly, she is FUN to be around!
Married thirty four years, Victoria met her husband when they were teenagers. Together they have four children (Rebecca, Christopher, Samantha, Jessica) who are now starting families of their own. Whilst she has very fond memories of her grandparents, Victoria admits that her relationship with her own mother isn’t close. She tells me she can count the times her mother joined her childhood activities growing up on one hand. As a result, Victoria’s approach to motherhood has been a conscious choice to get involved, to cherish and nurture the individual personalities of each of her kids. It was beautiful to watch Victoria and Sam together. There were countless hugs and laughs, an easy love between them. Her eyes light up at the mention of her grandchildren. It’s important to her to be the grandparent they want to visit and spend time with, that they create beautiful memories like she has of her own.
Victoria (rightfully) refers to motherhood as a career, rewarding, challenging and sometimes not very pleasant. But seeing her children grow up to be happy, productive members of their communities, it’s a career she is truly grateful for. We spoke about modern motherhood, how complicated it seems to have become. It can be overwhelming to navigate all of the information available to parents today. Victoria says in her experience, if it felt right for her and her family, then it generally was. Encouraged by the support of her family, she’s currently writing a book with the hope that it will provide more parents the permission to simply enjoy their little ones as they grow up.
Her biggest piece of advice?
"Enjoy the moments – the years go by too fast and they will be all grown up before you know it!"
You can view all of my portraits from 2013/14 by clicking on the Portrait Series links in the right sidebar of this page. In case you're wondering about the inspiration for this year's Motherhood portrait series, you can read more about it here.
Belinda x
The years really do fly by, don't they?
ReplyDeleteFound you via Jodi - so pleased I did!
xx Katrina
www.capturingmomentss.blogspot.com
Sounds like she could write a great book....and yes those years really do disappear quickly xx
ReplyDelete