We live in a digital age where more and more of our life is online. We shop online, we read articles online, and we even search for advice through Dr. Google or ask questions, requiring an answer instantly. This is the way our lives are going, and there is no stopping the direction in which it is going to go. As a blogger, you may think that this sort of reality and lifestyle is part of the territory. After all, parenting experiences and life is shared online. But it is also a good idea to look at some of the different ways we can capture memories and look back at family moments. Social media is a fantastic way to stay connected, and this year we have needed it more than ever. However, with so much activity online and some stories being shared about media images being stolen, etc, it might be time to spread the net and look at other ways to capture the moments and keep the memories alive.
Image source – pixabay – cco license
While this isn’t about scaring people into not sharing things online, it is more to do with being aware. Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular platforms to share family images with people, and there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of them. But, there are still alternative ways to share precious snapshots of your life and your family purely for the eyes of which you intended them to be seen by. There are also lovely ways you can share family moments and do things a little differently. With that in mind, here are some of the things that you could try.
Go back in time, sort of
There was a time when the only way to communicate what was going on in your life, from the birth of a child, a marriage proposal or just your general day to day activities, was by letter. Can you believe it? Phone calls, text messages, and emails all seem to feel like they have been part of our lives forever, but sadly this is not the case. At the time, it was all anyone knew, but now, of course, sending a letter or a postcard seems a little ancient. But, that doesn’t mean to say you can’t bring it back. Type up a letter and print off your favourite pictures and send to a family member or a friend. You could even consider sending a postcard with your favourite snap and a few words about it to a loved one. There is a sort of novelty to receiving anything other than a bill or bank statement in the post these days, and you could easily make someone day doing this.
Capture the ultimate family memory
Family is so important, and this year many of us have seen the true meaning behind it and how special the love is. Your family is your unit, but let’s not forget how far back this can extend. It might be time to sit down with your immediate family and start capturing the ultimate family memory, and building your family tree. You could even use websites like https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-make-a-family-tree to help you build it to share with others. This not only helps you and your children to understand your heritage and background, but could unearth some great stories and pictures that you can share with other family members. It could be a great activity for 2021 that you could all enjoy.
Use messaging applications
There is no hiding from the fact that technology makes things easier. So while we can’t completely go back in time and become technology free, we can utilise it in a not so public way and take advantage of photo sharing applications instead. This means that the picture you upload will only be seen by people you have given authorisation to. There are similar sorts of things like iCloud photo sharing. You could even create a group chat on apps like Whatsapp, which means that messages, videos, and pictures can all be sent and seen by people within the group. All of which give you that satisfaction of instant sharing, without it being so public.
Create family scrapbooks for your children in the future
Throughout your children’s lives, there will be points where you will want to capture as much of the memory as possible. Scrapbooking is a fun way to do it. For example, when we are pregnant many of us fill in those obligatory baby books with our thoughts, our receipts for baby items and scan pictures. So what is to stop you continuing this sort of trend throughout their childhood? You could create a scrapbook of the baby years, toddlerhood, or as they get older, let them be involved in creating books that capture their summer holidays from school, the vacations you take as a family, or even just a family day out. These are wonderful to look back on in years to come and your children may enjoy seeing them and sharing them with their own children one day.
Simply print some off
Sometimes the best idea is the simplest. Years ago, many of us used to head out with our disposable cameras, go to our local photo store and print them out. Not really knowing how some of them would turn out, but the excitement was there. So why not grab a little of that back and print out some of your favourite snaps? Pop them in frames, display them on cork boards or stick them to your fridge. Just surround yourself with the images that make you smile. The ones that you just love to see.
Capturing the moments is everything these days, and sharing them online is just part and parcel of everyday life. But it might be fun to look at other ways you can do it, capturing moments in a different way and in the process sharing the love unexpectedly. Let’s hope this has given you something to think about next year.
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