I call these girls “my girls” because they’ve been friends for the past five years and spend a great deal of time at our house. Or at least they did. This pandemic has robbed us of so much. I know I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said before, but in short, this sucks. But of course, even with all the things we’ve had to give up, we still have our health and we are so grateful for all the important people in our society that are giving everything of themselves, sometimes even their lives.
While there are things we honestly like about being quarantined, we miss so much about our lives pre-virus. We’ve been quarantined since mid-March. We are extremely cautious: having all groceries and household items delivered, making every meal at home, washing hands, masking up if we absolutely have to leave the house, and not congregating in crowds.
Our daughter is twelve. To say this has been hard for her is an understatement. I will say this though, thank goodness for her positive attitude, which is with us 90% of the time. And thank goodness for things like FaceTime and Fortnite. I never thought I’d be so happy that those things exist. They’ve kept her social life from totally dissolving. She’s found her groove in the new normal, but she sure does miss times like these pictured below, where we’d have photo sessions with her and her friends. This particular session was at the beginning of 2020. We had no idea what was just around the corner. I like to consider myself a tween portrait photographer. I’m getting plenty of practice. It’s a sweet time in a person’s life, just before hormones go “wonky” and nearly every decision is questioned. I love these girls! I can’t wait for the time when they come back to my house, eat all my food, and make messes that make me wonder, “What happened in here?!?”
To see more photographs of children and tweens, visit the Families gallery.