A mother's plea to husbands is resonating with women all over the globe. Photo / Facebook
A woman's public plea to husbands everywhere has gone viral because it is something that a lot of other mothers relate to.
In a Facebook post, mother and blogger Mary Katherine Backstrom, known for her site MomBabble, made a request to husbands and fathers everywhere, on behalf of all mothers.
Her request is simple, yet often forgotten: please take our picture.
"Dear men, husbands, people who love us,
On behalf of mamas everywhere, I have an important request:
Take our picture," she wrote in a Facebook post.
She says mothers understand not every moment needs to be documented but highlights how often mothers document moments involving their kids and other people.
"Even when we complain, even when our hair is a mess. Even when we are wearing a dingy, oversized sweatshirt.
"Take our picture.
"I know this isn't something on the forefront of your mind, and that's okay. We don't need every special moment documented ... but, let's be honest.
"We spend a lot of time doing just that for everyone else.
"Please.
"Take our picture.
She pleads with husbands to ignore their wives' self-deprecating comments and take their photos anyway.
"Even when we fuss about how 'chubby' we think we look in our swimsuit. If you see us splashing and laughing loudly with our babies in the heat of a gorgeous summer day — I don't care if we are nine months pregnant (*ahem*)
"Take our picture.
"Even if we moan that the angle isn't good or our smile looks a little insane, I promise you this: We want to be seen. We want to be remembered. And it means the world to us when you take our picture.
"You may not realise it now, but we've taken hundreds of sneaky photos of you and the people you love.
"When we see you snuggled on the couch with our babies or playing catch in the backyard, our hearts fill with joy and we can't help but take your picture.
"Or maybe you DO realise it, and it's a little bit annoying. I can understand that, too.
"But here is a little reminder of these pictures are SO dang important:
"One day, we won't be around for our babies.
"One day, you and I will be gone and what will remain of us will be the memories we've captured of this beautiful life we made.
"One day, our kids will gather around a table and scroll through images of these precious, fleeting days.
"They will cry and laugh and commiserate.
"They will say 'Remember that vacation? Remember that day?'
"And it will be so, so beautiful.
"But if every single picture was taken by their mama, guess who won't be in those memories?
"Men, husbands, people who love us,
"Take our picture.
"The mother of your children deserves to be seen, documented, and remembered.
"Not through posed family portraits or hundreds of selfies. But as who she was—who she is NOW—in those real, special life moments.
"I know we complain and we don't make it easy. Love us enough to do it, anyways.
"For our sake and for yours.
"For the sake of our babies
"Take our picture."
The post, published on March 30, has had more than 11,000 reactions and has been shared more than 26,000 times.
It received thousands of comments of mothers who felt it had resonated with them and accurately described their family dynamic when it came to taking photos.
"Thank you for this. My mum died when I was five. There is one single picture of her for myself and my three grown siblings. In that one picture she is turning her head. Mums, please allow your picture no matter how you think you look. It's just your face we want," someone commented.
"This doesn't just go out to the men ... Women ... take pictures of your mama friends and sisters and cousins because you may be the only one that does. My ex husband never took pictures of me with our daughter and now that we're divorced and I'm single the only pictures I get of her and I together are the selfies or ones I pay a photographer for or when my mum snaps one but by golly I take all of the selfies, and snap chat filter selfies I can and I pay for a photographer every year because I want my daughter to see me and her, doing this thing together and creating a beautiful life and she is the light of my mine and I want her to see those smiles and remember how precious she is/was to me when I'm gone one day," another person said.
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