Garden of Eden
Normally I savor traditions passed down from generation to generation, but eventually the world changes enough to alter some of those traditions. Technology changes things. I don’t have to drag a plow behind a horse to till up a hayfield. We have tractors for that. I don’t have to scrub my clothes on a wash board, we have washing machines for such tasks. It dawned on me recently that I don’t have to continue purchasing school pictures because we live in a digital snapshot crazy world.
The thought occurred to me after I found myself balancing my checkbook to see if I could afford school mug shots for my three kids. When I was a child, my school picture was taken and was probably the only photo taken of me that entire year. I might be in a group photo for a holiday or in the background at a family member’s birthday party once in a while, but aside from that there really are only a handful of pictures of me as a child. Back then people didn’t always have a camera at their finger tips like we do today with cell phones and pocket sized cameras always handy.
The concept of identifying students and documenting their development is still a practical idea for keeping school records, but why do we continue the tradition of buying these expensive pictures even though most households have more than one digital camera and the ability to print their own photos right at home? Do you realize that if you have two or three children and you don’t have a digital camera, you can invest in one instead of purchasing the school pictures and be your own photographer? For the average cost of $65 dollars (per child) I can buy three new outfits, do a fun photo shoot in my own back yard and hand pick the best of the best.
With this realization in mind I have to ask myself why I would continue to pay out so much money every year for a chance that a school mug shot will be a “good picture.” I can’t help but factor in the odds that there will be messy hair, overly opened eyes and wrinkled collars. This year for the first time I actually sent a package of school pictures back to the photographer and asked for a refund because the picture was overpriced and not frame worthy. It wasn’t a picture I would brag about.
Like the majority of modern parents today, when I have the opportunity to show off my kids I whip out my cell phone and scroll to “my pix.” The gesture is always reciprocated. I can’t remember the last time I fished the plastic photo wallet from the bottom of my bag (and then apologized for the mysterious crud that somehow gets stuck in between the outdated pictures).
Thankfully those days are long gone, but when it comes to holding on to tradition … whether or not you buy the pictures, the school will take them for their own records. The ritual of picture day will not be lost. Children will continue to experience it just like generations past. They’ll stand in a wiggly, crooked line in the gym with a new plastic pocket comb and watch each other smile for the camera while eagerly anticipating their turn. The photographer will make them giggle and pop a quick flash in their eyes, immortalizing them on film forever.
Lydia Eden-Irwin was raised in Gilroy. She has three children as part of a blended family. Her column is published each Wednesday. She can be reached at ed*****@*ol.com.
