Family portraits are nothing new, and in fact, many families have their pictures professionally taken at least once a year, in beautiful locations such as parks or public gardens. It’s a great way to memorialize your growing and changing family and capture important moments in time–freezing them to remember and look back on forever.
While you would never forget to include your child or spouse in your professional family photos, often times the Grandparents are left out.
In fact, according to one family photographer, only about 5% of the family portraits she has taken over the span of her career have included Grandma or Grandpa.
In the hustle of daily life, balancing our own needs and the needs of our parents requiring senior care, we sometimes get caught up in our to-do lists and end up going through the motions without stopping to think about how we could include our parents in small ways that would mean a lot to everyone.
For a senior receiving senior care at home, due to health concerns or mobility issues, feelings of isolation from society and from family may be an issue for some. One way to show them how special they are is to invite them to participate in your family photo session.
5 Reasons to Include Grandparents
- The kids. Grandparents are such a big part of your kid’s lives, and it is important to show your children that they should respect, honor, and include their grandparents in the things that they do. They were some of the first people to hold your children after birth, and have watched them grow and thrive over the years. Let them have an opportunity to bond and have photos capture the special relationship that they share.
- Make their day. It may not be often that your senior parent gets the opportunity or desire to get dressed up and to leave the house for a special event or occasion. Help them pick out an outfit they like and feel good in, and help them groom themselves if needed. You may both be surprised at how looking their best can affect their mood, and give them this inclusive opportunity might mean more to them than you know.
- Memorialize them. Our parents won’t be around forever, because none of us will. Taking the time and effort to have pictures taken with them now will be a memory and experience to cherish forever and you will have the beautiful pictures to look back on for years to come.
- Gifts. Pictures make very sentimental and special gifts that everyone loves to receive. Surprise your loved ones receiving senior care with pictures from the special day and let them display them in their homes. Every time they see the reminders of that day, it will put a smile on their face.
- Why not? There’s really not a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t include the grandparents in your family photos. It doesn’t cost anything more and the benefits outweigh any reasons we can think of, so don’t wait- book that session and let Mom or Dad know that you want them represented in the family pictures as well!
Helpful tip: If you live in an area where it’s difficult to hire professional photographers, or your parent receiving senior care cannot easily leave their home, consider asking their caregiver to help out and have them take some pictures of your family together. You won’t regret it!
If you, or an aging loved-one, are considering hiring Home Care in Del Mar, CA, or the Surrounding San Diego Area , or the Surrounding San Diego Area, please contact the caring staff at GoldenCare today. Call us at (760) 828-5201 today.
Personal source:
photographer Amy Meyerott with Shadow and Light
