*This is a collaborative post
I absolutely hate having my photo taken. My smile is always just a little bit awkward, usually with my mouth firmly closed in some kind of painful grimace which shows just how much I want the moment to be over, wishing I was the person behind the camera and not in front of it. As a Mother, given the choice, I am ALWAYS the one behind the lens. Because of this, when I look back at memories of my children growing up; its always my partner with the girls, their three smiling faces beaming back at the camera, with my face know where to be seen. It has to stop.
Since I lost my own Mum in 2013, I cherish all those photos I have of my own childhood – me and my Mum together, smiling and happy. She didn’t let concerns over her image stop her from being present and in the moment – and neither can I.
I hate showing my teeth, and despite having had years of orthodontic treatment as a child, my teeth are still not straight. I will never forget those days of jaw impressions which made me feel sick (when my orthodontist insisted on doing both top and bottom at the same time despite me having a heavy cold). I remember having a bit of wayward wire digging into the side of my palette and having to go back to have it trimmed. I remember the day the braces were removed, and sticking to soft foods like potato waffles as it felt so strange biting down into anything else.
My teeth were much improved, but I got into the habit of pushing my tongue between my teeth when I swallow (god knows how) so somehow, despite having overnight retainers and fixed braces for years as a child, much of their handywork was pushed straight back by my repeated pushing against my teeth. Unless I change this habit, my teeth are unlikely to ever be straight!
Look on my bucketlist, and you will see just one item that relates to my appearance. I’m not a superficial person and I generally don’t care too much about the way I look, but I’ve always loved the ideas of getting veneers. I don’t mean the Simon Cowell bright white smile, or the kind you would see from a contestant on Love Island, I mean just straight white teeth, not discoloured from fizzy drinks, not with one crooked bottom tooth at the front, and one that I would be proud to show off and smile not just with my eyes, but with my whole face!
Veneers are a great way to repair crooked teeth, fill gaps between teeth, prevent overlapping or even discolouration such as flurosis which can be unsightly. Whether or not I will be brave enough to make that jump is yet to be seen but you only have to check out veneers London to see what a huge impact they can have!
Whether I have my veneers done or not, one thing is for sure, I can’t let hang ups about my physical appearance dictate the childhood memories that my kids have to look back on. I’ve made myself a promise that at least once a month we will get some photos of all four of us together, recording each milestone of my children as they grow up. Lets face it, these days fly past way too quickly and there’s no going back and doing it again!
Are you ever in the photo? Does your partner ever volunteer to take photos or is it always you behind the lens?
