Stories
Your motherhood, their childhood
January 1, 1970
Teresa Palmer, known by many as an actor, is also a mum of 5, a wife, a business owner and podcast co-host together with Sarah Olsen Wright, who also goes by many names, including mum, wife, co-founder and actor.
As well-known actresses, you’re often in the spotlight. How do you both balance being in the public eye with your roles as mums, and do you think it influences the way you document your family life?
Balancing a career and being a mum is definitely a juggling act, starts Teresa, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. And just like other mums, Sarah fills in, we have 40,000 photos on our phones from all the years of documenting our little ones and our family adventures. But there are definitely aspects of our family life that we like to keep private, Teresa explains, I only share what feels right and respectful of our personal boundaries. So documenting our family life is something I do with care, she continues, I capture moments that are meaningful and intimate but are always mindful to not overshare.
Why encourage other moms to get in the picture and document their stories?
Encouraging other mums to get in the picture and document their stories is something I’m passionate about, says Teresa, because these moments with our littles are so fleeting and precious. By being in the photos, she continues, we are not only preserving memories for ourselves but also for our children to look back on – showing them that mum was always there for the fun and not just the one behind the camera. I love having photos of my births, the everyday moments and all the kids' milestones, says Sarah, photographs tell a story and if we don’t make ourselves a part of the story there will always be a huge piece missing.
“By being in the photos, we are not only preserving memories for ourselves but also for our children to look back on”
Being photographed is a big part of your career. How do you approach taking photos at home with your families? Do your husband or kids take photos of you?
I have so many photos on my phone that my kids have taken of me, Sarah says, my older two have an amazing eye and love capturing family pictures. My little one loves taking photos too, but that’s more like 47 pics of just my feet, my cup of coffee or the eyeball of her baby doll – it’s hilarious. For us too, Teresa fills in, taking photos is about what Sarah describes: capturing our everyday life. It’s not about perfection, she continues, but authenticity (and often chaos!). My husband and my kids often take spontaneous photos of me, they’re candid and genuine – and sometimes from the super flattering angle of a two-year-old, but I absolutely love it! These pictures reflect our true selves, Teresa explains, I’m such a silly, playful mum and those in-the-moment shots are always my favorite to look back on.
“Photos is about capturing our everyday life, not about perfection, but authenticity and often chaos”
What are some of your favorite ways to create and preserve family memories? Do you have any special traditions or practices that help you cherish these moments?
Creating and preserving family memories is so important to me, Teresa expresses, one of my favorite things to do is scroll back through old childhood photos albums and reminisce. So, she continues, one of our traditions has become making photo books together. We sit down and look through our phone, find funny pictures and add them to our photo book! We also love making photo books, Sarah says, we do one for each year to look back and show the kids all the adventures we’ve been on together. We have a Christmas Card tradition as well, she continues, we make a card every year and we fill it with tons of photos from the year. Time moves faster than I ever expected, Sarah adds, capturing these moments together and saving them will be something we cherish forever.
What advice would you give to moms who feel hesitant or self-conscious about being in family photos? How can they overcome these feelings and embrace being part of the memories?
My advice, Sarah starts, is to remember that just as much as you love to look back at photos of your little ones – to see their smiles, to catch them in a special moment, to document their quirky little mannerisms and milestones – one day your children will want to look back at you, their mom. They will want to see your face, the lines next to your eyes, the way your hair falls over your shoulders as you laugh, they will want to look at your hands and see their mama in all her beauty, because they love you – just the way you are. I couldn't agree more, Teresa says, one day your children will look back on these photos of you and wish they could jump through the album to be in your presence.
As you age, Teresa continues, you’ll think about what it was like raising your children when they were little and those timestamps you have of yourself as a mother in your younger years will become so cherished – you won’t see any imperfections you might be worried about, you’ll just remember how full your heart felt. You have to embrace being part of the memories, Teresa explains, because you are an irreplaceable part of your children’s lives. Start by taking small steps, she suggests, like asking your partner to capture candid shots of you and the kids, then you’ll get more and more comfortable with being in front of the camera. When you look back at these photos together, Sarah describes, you will remember the story, the moments, the food you were eating, the laughs you had, the city you were in, the conversations you had - you won’t care about the way you look. We just hope every mum could see themselves the way their little ones see them.
