Though we may not always think about it when we're taking them, photos can be invaluable. As she reflected upon what it was like to lose her mother when she was 20 years old, Cyndy Gatewood urged dads to take more photos of their families whenever they can, to keep those memories alive.
"My mom passed away when I was 20 years old," she wrote in a submission to the Love What Matters Facebook page. "All I have are pictures. I stare at the pictures of her holding me in her lap laughing at something cute I must have said. I zoom in on pictures of her hands to see if I have the same ones as I've gotten older."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"You can't capture things like that in a selfie," she continued. "Please, take the picture."
Gatewood wrote that she looked through her phone and realized all the photos she had were of her husband and their kids, but that she never wanted him to take candid photos of her.
"I always feel like I have to have on makeup or have a good angle because I have a social media mentality," she wrote. "But it doesn't have to be that way. We need pictures of our family that include me. I love the pictures of just my kids, and I'm so thankful for the pictures I have of my kids and my husband, but it's so important for both of us to be in pictures with them."
That's why, she said, she's appealing to dads, husbands, and partners to take photos without warning or posing.
"One day she'll be gone and all the kids have left of her are memories." she wrote. "I know you don't always think about it, but when you do, don't worry about anything else and just take the picture. Your kids (and your wife) will be so grateful in the end."
Since Gatewood's submission was posted on the Love What Matters Facebook page, many who follow the page have chimed in with their own anecdotes about the memories they want captured, and have shared moments that show just how important it can be to "take the picture."
Read these stories next: