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FeedithNola: Selfies & Motherhood

Editor’s Note: Here at NolaVie we love our moms, so today we are giving publication to stories about moms or stories written by moms. And, there’s a theme: Moms and technology. Although Kim Frusciante is not a fan of having her photo taken, her young daughter Edith is the queen of selfies. Now Kim’s phone has an archive of beauty, laughter, and memories. 

I don’t enjoy being photographed. I’ve never found myself to be particularly photogenic and being behind the camera always felt more comfortable. You never have to check your hair before taking a photograph of somebody else, and the camera can’t add ten pounds when you’re behind it. When my daughter was born, I assumed this is where I would remain: safely behind the lens of a camera for the next 18ish years. Of course, as kids often do, Edith had something else in mind. Enter selfie mode.

The girl loves selfies. Call it narcism or just really healthy self-esteem. We thought that the light of the screen itself might be the attraction (she doesn’t get any regular screen time), but a few quick experiments confirmed it: she just loves her some her. A two-minute selfie photo-shoot can cure the worst of moods and has saved us from many rainy days, long car rides, and general toddler tantrums. It’s not limited to still photos either. When we video call my parents, Edith beams ear to ear. They think it’s because she’s so happy to see them… I don’t have the to heart to tell them that she’s actually cooing at the tiny box with her own face in the corner of the screen. (I guess, until now… Hi Mom!)

Although Edith’s love of the selfie has serious repercussions for the memory on my smart phone, I’m unbelievably grateful to have a record of our crazy antics together. One day, years from now, I worry that she’ll also hate to have her picture taken. And as I try to convince angsty-teenage-Edith that she is beautiful, we’ll look back at the catalogue of pictures together and remember that there was a time when the thing that could cheer her up most in the world was looking at her own face.

 

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