The Kid Stays In The Picture
The artist.
The art.
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It is possible that the fact that I let my fifteen-month old daughter use my camera and then post the product of her efforts on the Internet is just so much more evidence that I am an unrepentant attention-whore who publicly exploits the precociousness of her child in order to affirm her own identity as a mother on the cutting edge of cool, if such a thing is not incontrovertibly oxymoronic. But it is also possible that I just think that the world needs more WonderBaby.
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If any of you Toronto-area parents are looking to out yourselves as desperately hip – or just looking to have a really good time with your children in a venue that is devoid of licensed characters – you could always check this out this weekend. WonderBaby and I are going: just look for a tiny, sparsely-haired performance-toddler, and her bad mother.
Posted by Her Bad Mother on February 22, 2007
Filed under: Uncategorized
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."What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil." (Nietzsche, Aphorism 153, Beyond Good And Evil.) Not, unfortunately, beyond Dora dolls that shout 'WE DID IT!' when you step on them, but you learn to cope with that.
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© 2010 • Her Bad Mother • All Rights Reserved
Feb 22, 2007
Save that picture..it will be famous one day.
Feb 22, 2007
It is possible that the fact that I let my fifteen-month-old daughter use my camera and then post the product of her efforts on the Internet is just so much more evidence that I am an unrepentant attention-whore…
The fact that you let your fifteen-month-old use your camera suggests to me that you are her good mother, letting her explore a technology and an art that’s new to her, without freaking out about your camera getting broken.
That you post her photo suggests that you are her mother. Just her mother, always her mother.
Feb 22, 2007
I like seeing kids’ photos. I like trying to figure out what inspired them to take the pictures.
Feb 22, 2007
I’ve done it, too.
are you calling me an attention-whore?
(truth hurts, i suppose)
Feb 22, 2007
Hey, it’s Jeff in Ottawa from CW High. Been lurking for a while, but had to post in reply to your latest entry. HILARIOUS. We gave the boy his own camera last summer when he was 5. No shit, a quarter of the pictures were of his feet. Another quarter were of other people’s feet. Even feet at higher-than-eye-level for him, so it’s not a looking-down thing. Shoes on a shelf in a closet? Art fodder! Profound insight into the boy’s interests was had. Anyways, been enjoying your posts while I’m on temporary hiatus from employment. Keep the kid’s pictures coming – I’m curious to see if the boy’s apparent foot fetish is one of the phases one reads about in good parenting literature. Rock on.
Feb 22, 2007
wow… you’re taking a picture of wonderbaby taking a picture. that’s so, like, metaphotographic.
Feb 22, 2007
love this!! the Magpie has been trying to get her hands on my camera forever, though it’s usually just to bang on it…
and, dude, I think you have my camera!
Feb 22, 2007
We are nothing if not meta ’round here, Lara.
And, um, JEFF? Wow. Delurking much appreciated – but now you’ve got me freaked that there are dozens (or at least twos or threes) of old high school buddies hanging out around this blog. Laughing, probably. And pointing.
Feb 22, 2007
If I gave my nine-month-old my digital camera, the only shots would be of his mouth as he tried to eat the lens.
Feb 22, 2007
Yes, more Wonderbaby!
Feb 23, 2007
That kid is a budding Diane Arbus…without the crazy, of course.
Feb 23, 2007
look for a tiny, sparsely-haired performance-toddler, and her bad mother
No, look for the platinum bob. That’s what we all did at BlogHer.
Feb 23, 2007
Wonderbaby has got a good eye.
Feb 23, 2007
Well, of course the world needs more of Wonderbaby! And she took a nice photo. You too.
Feb 23, 2007
Love it, love it! Now I’m going to steal it! So, did you or are you planning to frame Wonderbaby’s art?
Feb 23, 2007
Portrait of a young artist as a Wonderbaby.
Feb 23, 2007
Only one of my three is interested in the camera, which she mainly uses to take photos of her toys. I could do quite a post of blury toy photos. Now that she’s nearly 8, we’re getting her an inexpensive and sturdy digital camera so that she stops using up MY batteries all the time.
Feb 23, 2007
My husband lets MF use our digital camera as well… Maybe he’ll become a famous photographer and support us in our old age.
Feb 23, 2007
(Wishing I lived near Toronto…)
My 3-year old has her own camera, and usually she takes pictures of her toys and the floor and things that, honestly, aren’t very moving.
But this one time she took the most perfect picture of the branches of our jade plant, and I was so shocked that I almost started crying. It was perfectly lovely, and worth all the pictures I had to scan through to reach it.
So, keep snapping, WonderBaby!!
Feb 23, 2007
Crap! We were looking for something fun to do this weekend and the Bunch thing is now sold out! Rrrgh.
Mme L’s first photo was of a pot of porridge, but I would have expected SHOES, just like Jeff’s kid, because SHOES were all she could talk about for a while. Did I mention SHOES?!
Excellent work WB…
Feb 23, 2007
The really exciting part is how you managed to get a picture of her while she was holding the camera. Aer you controlling The Matrix or what???
Feb 23, 2007
No Matrix, just the magic of multiple cameras.
Feb 23, 2007
Oh criminy, why is it always on the saturday I work?
Feb 23, 2007
Brave comes to mind. I’m afraid when the kids even get near the camera.
Feb 23, 2007
Psst…there is something waiting for you over at my blog.
Feb 23, 2007
Goodness, that camera is as big as her head!!!
Love the WB photos. They make me smile and that is all good!
Feb 23, 2007
I am getting my hair done (doesn’t that sound lovely and relaxing?) on Saturday, or me and the Boy would totally be hanging out with Your Bad Selves.
Yes, the world does need more WonderBaby.
Feb 23, 2007
Hi there:
I am a Mom from Nova Scotia, and have been reading your blog for a few months. I really enjoy your writing, and your little girl is sweet.
How is your darling nephew? I think of his Mom often…she must be so strong.
Have fun this week-end!
Feb 24, 2007
Hello, Her Bad Mother (though, really, you are quite good): Just wanted to let you know that I’ve named you on my blog in something that looks like a meme, but is really just deep praise. Thanks for making me think!
Feb 24, 2007
I’m here via Mom-nos, so thank you to you both, and that was the perfect piece to link.
Cheers
Feb 24, 2007
Heard about it… We want to go as this is where Boy Wonder and I had our wedding reception….MANY moons ago….
Feb 24, 2007
Neat picture – very architectural?
Feb 24, 2007
I wish I lived in Toronto sometimes! You always do such fun things!
Feb 25, 2007
That sounded like fun. Let us know how it was.
I get very nervous when the kids are around the camera, but hubby always hands it right over. We have lots of toy shots too!
Nice job WB.
Feb 25, 2007
Bad…if only i was closer.
i’ve missed you, by the way. glad to be back your way.
Feb 25, 2007
If she takes pis at fifteen months, what will she take when she’s two, seven, nine? twnety three? yee-gads….