Black and White

When you’re a child, the world just seems…easy.

Play time. Nap time. Bedtime.

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.

Good behavior. Bad Behavior.

Noah’s going on four and a half years old. His world is slowly starting to become a bit more complex. He’s learning that bad choices bring about consequences. And consequences aren’t always fun. Just like good choices (and good behavior) bring about rewards.

Sometimes I struggle with what he sees and experiences at such a young age. When the shootings happened in Connecticut a few weeks ago, I was glued to the TV…heartbroken and upset for those poor families and those innocent children. Clinging to the media in hopes that some sort of justice was brought about and some answers were provided.

While I was watching the news, Noah heard bits and pieces of what went on that day and stopped to ask questions. I answered them as simply as I could and in the best way I knew how for his four year old mind to process. His innocence melts my heart and there was no reason to subject him to something so terrible…knowing that he’ll be witnessing horrors of all kinds the older he gets.

This parenting gig is hard. Trying to keep them young…keep them pure for as long as we can.

Protecting them from things that they don’t need to witness. Protect them from getting their heart broken. From getting their feelings hurt. From seeing that life is, unfortunately, more than just play time and bedtime.

Keep them seeing the world in shades black and white…rather than in ranges of controversial colors.

 

These photos are part of the monthly challenge Project 12! Each month the ladies behind Project 12 choose a theme and you are encouraged to shoot what you feel portrays that theme. This months theme was black and white. I wanted to shoot Noah in his element and capture the simplicity and the innocence of boyhood. Like I mentioned in my post above, life gets complicated the older we get but at this age, our children still just see the world for the simplicity that we know as innocence. Life in black and white…