Little Hearts Can Teach Big Things | Maris Ehlers Photography

We want our children to recognize the value of doing good things for others.

Good deeds. Selfless acts. Making a difference. These are things that matter, we say.  These are the things that matter, and so why isn't your homework done, your bed made and your face washed? 

This morning, after a hectic week and weekend, the kids and I were in the middle of the "we're going to be late for the bus" churn.  Mondays are always rough, and this one was no exception. 

I typically have to give my son multiple reminders and sometimes warnings for each and every task that needs to be done before we leave the house.  "Did you brush your teeth?" can sound more like a line from our own family school morning liturgy, repeated in various voice tones at the same time in the process nearly every single day.  

Sometimes I even have to tell him "I cannot listen to what it is that you are trying to tell me until you do what it is that I have asked you to do." This, is seems, is my mantra. 

Today, with my head and arm buried under the couch, trying to reach for an errant shoe (that should have been on his foot), I was repeating my liturgy of the morning.  "Hunter, do you have your backpack ready?  Did you feed the dog?  Where is your coat?"  

He was talking about rocks and dogwood trees and I don't know what else.  I admit it. I wasn't really listening.  I was giving him the obligatory  "Umm hmmm" and the "That's nice.", while my mind raced around the many other things that needed to be done. 

He was talking.  I was wondering how his shoe got this far under the couch in less than twelve hours.  

He was dreaming. I was frustrated. Why can't he just follow directions, do what he's told, and follow the rules? 

Pulling myself up to my hands and knees while picking something else up off the floor, I said "I cannot listen to what it is that you are trying to tell me until you do what it is that I have asked you to do."  

He went to get his coat.  And then the soft echo of the last thing he said permeated my thoughts, just a second later than he said it. 

"Mom, you know my birthday money? That I've been saving for a scooter? I'd like to donate it and give it to someone else. Someone in need."

And in that moment, with a child's shoe in my hand, the frustrated scowl left my face.

I found gratitude. Gratitude that he was not following my directions. My rules.  

Gratitude that he was following his heart.  

AN UPDATE:  A Twitter follower read this post and said he would Match what Hunter donates.  Hunter chose the Hanover Area Foodshelf as the organization he will donate his birthday money to.  So now, we are going to see if anyone else is interested in donating, too!  Will you join us?

WEDNESDAY UPDATE:  Raised so far?  $520!

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Childhood Dreams - Child Portraits on a Farm | Maris Ehlers Photography

Morgan dreams of being a farmer some day.  We thought the evening summer sun would be a great time to create some images that will help him feel like one now! 

I see a fun bedroom collage coming!  

Legos and Childhood Dreams Portraits by Guest Writer Sara Biren | Maris Ehlers Photography

Minnesota writer Sara Biren talks about her son Jude's obsession with Legos, making childhood dreams come true, and Hoth. 

 My son Jude lives and breathes Legos.

It’s no surprise that he wants to be a Lego set designer when he grows up.  One of the first things on the baby registry was the My First Lego Shape Sorter.  It didn’t matter to my husband if we had a boy or a girl, as long as he or she liked to play Legos.

Fast-forward eight years.  Legos are in this kid’s blood (his little sister’s, too) and our home is filled and overflowing with Legos.  Star Wars.  Castles.  Atlantis.  Indiana Jones.  Lego City.  Harry Potter (my personal favorite).  His favorite video games are Lego games.  Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, even St. Nicholas bring Lego sets.  Birthday lists are copied directly from the Lego catalog.  Most of the gifts he picks out for his friends – and for his dad (“We can share this one, right, Dad?) – are from the Lego aisle. 

Jude knows the history of Lego, knows what year what sets came out, which are “Hard to Find.”  He will offer random Lego facts at any moment of the day.  He is proud to say that the first mini-figures with natural skin tones (as opposed to the classic yellow) came out the year he was born.  He celebrated the 10^th anniversary of the introduction of Lego Star Wars all year long.  This past Christmas, instead of our usual scene of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer figurines on the fireplace mantel, Jude and his dad built Lego Hoth.

He reads gigantic books about Legos.  He has saved every single Lego catalog and Brickmaster magazine that has come into this house since he was four years old.  Every now and then he pages through them to look at retired sets.  He once figured out how many chores he would have to do to earn enough money to buy the Death Star, the most awesome Lego set ever – 1,200 chores, plus extra for tax, in case you’re wondering.  Last summer he tried more than thirty different vegetables and earned the Battle of Endor as an incentive.  That poor kid tried vegetables even I didn’t like.

Jude’s Lego obsession sounds a bit excessive, and there are moments – especially in the early morning when I walk across his room barefoot to wake him and step on yet another sharp little brick – when I look around in exasperation.  What on earth are we going to do with all these Legos?  He’s just about to turn eight – what will it be like when he’s 18? 

As overwhelming as it can sometimes be to live in a house of bricks, it’s amazing and wonderful, too.  Ask Jude the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and you’ll get the same answer that he’s been offering for more than two years.  Lego set designer.  

And why not?  Why not do something that you love, that’s exciting, that burns inside you?  There are no limits, there are no boundaries.  That’s what childhood dreams are all about.   And I love that Maris was able to capture that in the portraits from Jude’s Childhood Dreams session.

Jude, you can be anything you want to be.  You can be anything and go anywhere.  And I will do whatever I need to do to help you get there.






Check out Sara's blog! 

My I Heart Faces Entry This Week | Maris Ehlers Photography

My entry for this week's I Heart Faces Photo Challenge, which is the Best Face of February, is of my 7 year old son.  He dreams of being a scientist, and so we spent an hour or so making his childhood dreams come true.  It was really hard to decide which image to pick, but I chose this one because it simply makes me laugh, and it is HIS look when he does something against my advice and warnings -  and the results are exactly what I told him they'd be.  BAD.  He is definitely the most curious kid I know!

This submission goes along with my blog entry this morning, which is all about childhood dreams.  It tells the story of this picture and reminds us to not only remember our own childhood dreams, but to nurture our children's.

What Were Your Childhood Dreams? | Maris Ehlers Photography

What were your dreams as a child?  Do you remember?  Are you now what you dreamed of back then? 

Mine evolved over time, but at the age of five I remember wanting to be Miss America.  Thank goodness that didn't pan out! 

I also remember frequently dreaming of being a singer when I was a tween, and I would put on this pink dress that my mother had bought me and pretend to be a guest on The Johnny Carson Show.  I'd sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" first (Judy Garland, eat your heart out) and then sit down for a very interesting interview with Johnny and Ed.  

Some of you have your dreams at night.  I have mine during the day. 

It's true.  I am the ultimate daydreamer. Most kids are too, I think. Sadly, the real world eventually knocks it out of them. Dreaming is not just something good- it's also hope. For ourselves, for the future. It keeps us looking forward, challenging us in ways that take us beyond what we can see today. 

As a parent, I love it when my kids dream big but it can also be frustrating, too.  That's because kids think their thinks, dream their dreams on their own timeline, not yours or mine.  My son likes to tell me all sorts of crazy things he's thinking, elaborate, impossible solutions to problems that don't exist - but he usually likes to tell me when I'm trying to hurry him along in the morning.  My responses some times are "Ok, great. Now hurry up and get dressed."  I have to be mindful that when I discourage his dreaming because of my timetable, the less likely he'll continue to share them.  That would be devastating for us both.  

A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from my son's teacher.  We have issues in the classroom at times, and they often revolve around him not staying on task long enough to finish his work.  This day, she said he was literally out in space, looking all over the room instead of doing his work.  

I later asked him what he was doing, and with that look of wonder and animation that only a child can have, he said he had been watching a tiny little feather float around the room.  Up, down, twirling around.  He was still captivated by it as he told me about it. 

Some might say that a good mom would tell her son to quit daydreaming in class and get his work done.  Part of me really wanted to.  But I could just see him with his big blue eyes filled with delight, dreaming of what it might feel like to be a feather floating around the room, anticipating where it might land next.

I decided we harp on him enough to focus, get his work done, do what the other kids do that Harvard be damned... I was not going to take the joy of that moment away from him for anything.  So instead, I listened to him tell me about this tiny little feather on its own little journey and the surprise that it eventually just disappeared, leaving only a memory and a smile. Just like his childhood will. All too soon.  

  H dreams of being a scientist.  Here are some images previously displayed on facebook of the Childhood Dreams Session we did a couple of weeks ago.  Will these actually increase his chances of becoming one?  Probably not.  We joke that our goal is to get him to adulthood without him joining the circus or something, but it's fun to dream.  I know that whatever he chooses to do, and however many paths he takes to get there, he will share a joy of life with others.  He'll be kindhearted and generous, he'll use his creative brain in ways I can't even imagine, and he'll always inspire me to dream big.   I can't ask for more than that. 

What does your child dream of being when he/she grows up?  

Sometimes parents say they want to wait to book a session because their child is missing a front tooth, and I just don't get that.  Those gap-tooth smiles are part of their transition into "big kid land".  Capturing it through images is such a GREAT way to remember this time in their childhoods.

Here he is pretending to drink his crazy experiment.

Oh, no!  What is it doing to him?

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all.

It's turned him into a mad scientist!  Eek!

Quick break for makeup by aspiring makeup artist and younger sister, A.

Oh, oh.  This was his "Dr. Evil" look. 

Crazy is as crazy does! 

I'm in trouble now.

I took our favorites and made them into a framed collage which is on his wall.  Now he can visualize that dream whenever he chooses.  I hope this will make him feel more confident in pursuing his dreams!

This week, since we've launched the spring mini-sessions for kids, shown you new BFF sessions for girls, it's probably obvious that the MEP blog is all about children, and we have some great topics yet to come, including how to teach your kids to take pictures.  We have been changing a lot about the blog's design, focus and content and the responses have been great, so look for the topics to change weekly.  We hope you'll join us each day!