As parents, we spend so much time teaching our children.

We teach them to say "please" and "thank you." We remind them to be kind. We teach them right from wrong, and pray they'll grow into good people.



But some of the most important lessons they'll ever learn aren't taught with words.



They're learned by watching us.



I catch myself thinking about that a lot these days.



My daughter is always watching. More than I probably realize.



She's watching how I respond when I'm frustrated. She's watching how I treat strangers. She's watching the way I talk about myself, the way I talk to others... and she's watching the way my husband and I love each other.



It makes me wonder what she'll remember years from now.



I hope she remembers hearing us laugh from the other room.



I hope she remembers the hugs in the kitchen.

I hope she remembers seeing us hold hands without thinking about it.

I hope she remembers the kiss goodnight before we fall asleep.

Not because those moments are extraordinary...

But because they're ordinary.



Those quiet, everyday moments are the ones that build a home.



Recently, I photographed a family, and while Mom and Dad shared a quiet moment together, I noticed something that stopped me in my tracks.



Behind them stood their children.

They weren't impatient.

They weren't asking when it would be their turn.

They were smiling.

Watching.



It was one of those moments that reminded me why I always take time to photograph Mom and Dad together.



Those photos aren't just for them.



They're for the little eyes that have been watching their love story all along.



One day, those children will grow up.



Maybe they'll get married.



Maybe they'll become parents themselves.



And whether they realize it or not, part of what they believe love looks like will come from what they saw at home.

Not because their parents were perfect.

But because they loved each other through ordinary days.

That's the kind of love I want my daughter to grow up seeing.

And that's why I believe the photos of just Mom and Dad matter just as much as the family portraits.

Because one day, when those little eyes are all grown up, I hope they don't just remember what their parents looked like.



I hope they remember what love looked like.