23/09/2025
I used to sneak into Mum and Dad’s room when I was a kid…
And no, it wasn’t to find hidden Xmas presents, or the lollies they had stashed away (I never found the presents no matter how hard I tried).
Above their TV, they had three framed prints on the wall: one of just me when I was probably 5, one of my brother around 3, and one in the middle of the four of us together.
I was just a kid, so I had no idea of the power of family photographs, or the role they’d play in the future. But I loved looking at them. I can’t really explain why… maybe it was a quiet voice inside me saying, “you’re important enough to Mum & Dad for them to put you on the wall”, or maybe it was “they love you so much that the first thing they want to see every day is your face smiling back at them.”
Fast forward to me as a 37-year-old Dad and husband… now I get it. I can put it into words.
I have Mia all over our walls, and photos of the three of us together. On a rough day, there she is — smiling at me. And I know that when she sees the photos, she feels like, and I quote, “a super cute family princess” — which basically means she feels like she belongs here, fully loved.
It’s come full circle. I am now my parents, waking up to see her face smiling at me. And she is now me, looking at our walls and feeling loved, valued, and like she belongs.
This is why I do what I do. Don’t put it off. Could you be in a better financial position? Sure. Could you lose a couple kilos first? Maybe. Could you wait until the kids behave perfectly? Absolutely — but those are just excuses designed to keep us in our comfort zone.
If the story above resonates with you, reach out. Let me help you capture moments your family will treasure forever.
