I have my father's childhood photo album. He is not interested in having it, I am.
One of the first pictures shows him as a chubby, happy, smiling baby. In the next picture, he's pouting. In the last, he's weeping.
The cute story behind it? He was such a happy baby and always smiled. They had no photos of him crying. So they shouted and yelled at him and told him he was a bad boy until he broke into tears.
So cute, right?
In the next several pictures, his smiling grandpa is letting Little NF ride him. When I asked NF about his grandpa, looking at these photos, all he had to say was, darkly, "He was a strict man." It sounded eery. Wasn't he a darling, playful, sweet old guy? I mean, look at the pictures! Apparently, far from it.
He had lots of people to teach him how to stage a perfect family photo shoot. How to manipulate reality and emotions. They started when he was an innocent little baby.
He was sweet then, you know. I feel perfect love and empathy for that poor little baby in that old photo.
This post alone tells me how much you are connected to your emotions. You recognize the photo staging for what it was, cruel. Who purposely makes a baby cry just so they can take a picture of it. Your choices are making you very different from your parents. You are choosing a different path then you were taught. Keep going.
ReplyDelete^ Yes, Ruth captured it.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, please keep going.
TW
Thank you, guys.
ReplyDelete