The Importance of Printing and Hanging Your Photos
Displaying Portraits And Family Photos On The Wall
Boosts Your Children’s Self Esteem
Growing up, my Grandfather was a professional family photographer. Anytime we’d make the 8 hour drive from Illinois to Kansas, we’d take the time to head into his studio and take family portraits together. He had his own personal darkroom so he would make prints and send them to my parents. Without fail, they would frame and hang those photos up throughout the house. It seemed so normal to see ourselves proudly displayed on the walls of our childhood home.
But looking back, what a gift - to have a gallery of our lives always there to prove that we were so important to our parents.
So, why print and hang your photos around your home? Here are 3 reasons!
They will know they are cherished, cared for and loved.
Having photos of your kids and your family on the walls not only says “we’re proud to be a family”, but also “you are important and valuable to us”. Which totally makes sense. Children understand how important things are that are “on display”. Going to museums, looking at precious pieces hung on the wall, there’s an innate sense of importance. So when you frame and hang photos of your children, they are given that sense of importance and preciousness.
Kids just want to be a part of something. They want to feel included, like they belong. Don’t we all? Feeling like a valued part of the family is incredibly important in helping our children having self-worth – and regularly seeing themselves in family photos on the wall is a powerful way to promote this feeling.
2. Your children have a sense of belonging with a positive effect on children’s self-esteem.
Apparently, there’s a link between displaying your family photos and your children’s self esteem. A Tulane University study found that children who see photos of themselves have higher self-esteem than children who aren't exposed to family portraits. Psychologists recommend having photographs of your child with their family placed in the kids’ room so they can see it before sleep and then first thing upon waking and beginning their day. Imagine your children waking up every single morning to a beautiful image that radiates their worth and connection with family - what an amazing message to send to them!
3. Family photos leave an important legacy for you and your family.
What do we cling to when we lose someone we love? Images and videos of that person. It’s their legacy - the thing that lives on forever, even when they’re gone. Do you have a legacy? A way for your children to remember you by? Images sitting on a hard drive is fine but having something tangible is so special. If your kids can have an album or framed photos of you at their fingertips - what a way to leave a special legacy of your family’s journey! Your legacy is truly priceless.
Growing up, we always made albums and scrapbooks of our travels. It was so special to sit and reminisce about all those happy memories. They were stored on a bookshelf, easily accessible if we wanted to reconnect to those memories. Sure, we could have looked them up on the computer. But something about sitting on the couch, looking at tangible photos - well, there’s nothing quite like it.
You owe it to yourself (and to your children and grandchildren) to print your photos! Even if your prints find their way into a shoebox or an attic corner, at least they’re tangible. They exist in your home, waiting to be discovered. Have you ever stumbled upon a box of family photos? What usually happens? You sit there, looking through each and every one. Reminiscing. And usually family members start to gather around, joining in on the walk down memory lane. This usually doesn’t happen with images on a computer!
I was lucky enough to grow up in a world where film was the only option. Because of this, I have hundreds of physical photos of my family. Yes, I have embraced digital photography and have shot thousands of images of my children digitally. But I have hundreds of those digital files printed at a professional laboratory. I want my children to be rummaging through a box one day to discover happy memories on film. I want them to have a physical thing to hold in their hands with mom & dad’s faces smiling up at them.
Like I said before, what a gift you can give your children! So don’t let your photos die on a hard drive somewhere. Print them, hang them, make an album. Leave your kids with something tangible to remember these days by.