Art Photography, Motion Design, Content Creation

Holding on to innocence~

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by

~mimo~
in , , , ,

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As my little girl grows up, I watch with quiet desperation how her innocence begins to recede to the background. The old simple jokes that made her laugh again and again are now silly, the complete freedom with which she skipped all over the world and its problems is beginning to allow bits of worry into her magical world. Questions about the state of the world arise causing a frown to form on her previously every radiant and smiling face. Nothing prepares a parent for the inevitable letting go of their child’s innocence. We hold on to it desperately, we pray that the hugs will last longer, that the laughter will ring louder and that worry will keep its fangs away from our babies.

Comments

35 responses to “Holding on to innocence~”

  1. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    thats a wonderful series!

    Reply
  2. Tieme Avatar
    Tieme

    I am not there yet, no father, but I can assume it does something to you. Maybe growing up is not losing innocence, but knowing the price of innocence en not being innocent. Great job photographing!

    Kind regards,
    Tieme

    Reply
  3. kaylamoonstone Avatar
    kaylamoonstone

    These pieces are beautiful… It’s one thing to refrain from accepting the loss of innocence of a loved one, but it’s another to accept how growing up isn’t a bad thing.. Be proud and never stop loving that person because no one is too grown up to still receive love and support from someone they will always hold dear in life. Never let go of the little moments and stay strong for the bigger moments.

    Reply
  4. Eden Avatar
    Eden

    Beautiful, emotional series mimo!

    Reply
  5. Imperfectto Avatar
    Imperfectto

    very nice images

    Reply
  6. monochromejunkie Avatar
    monochromejunkie

    Great pics. I absolutely love the 2nd one. :0) By the way, what camera/lens are you using for your B&W street scenes? (Thanks in advance.) x -Birgitta

    Reply
  7. gardaseepur Avatar
    gardaseepur

    wow she is beautiful !

    Reply
  8. Mus Avatar
    Mus

    Beautiful post. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    My daughter is 12 and I can’t relate to this post at all. Loss of innocence is a) only ever partial – we all retain some, and b) necessary – who wants to stay a toddler forever? My experience is that when I let go of such unrealistic expectations of life (of things staying the same) and instead embrace my daughter’s changes and development and increasing awareness of the world, two things happen: 1) I don’t suffer, and 2) I’m far better able to support her. If I were to get all anxious about her place in the world, that wouldn’t help her – it’d make her more anxious, and less innocent, which is the very thing the author wants to avoid! What you resist persists. What you embrace tends to work out.

    Reply
  10. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Stunning images and truthful words. Beautifully done Mimo!

    Reply
  11. themofman Avatar
    themofman

    Extremely emotive post.

    Reply
  12. Benoît Beaudry Avatar
    Benoît Beaudry

    Beautiful images and shared feelings.

    Reply
  13. equinoxio21 Avatar
    equinoxio21

    Lovely! (Not so little ‘ny more!) 🙂
    Don’t you worry: my two daughters are now 32 (a doctor, married) and 30 (in Thailand with an NGO) and… details change but is still is lovely to see them grow up into great adults, responsible people. Yes one would love to “keep” our babies, but I insist, seeing how they evolve into great persons is lovely indeed.
    Thanks for sharing. 🙂
    Brian

    Reply
  14. ron abbass Avatar
    ron abbass

    Mimo, an excellent and insightful commentary. I especially liked – “we pray that the hugs will last longer, that the laughter will ring louder and that worry will keep its fangs away from our babies.” Peace and blessings, to you Mimo, and to your beautiful daughter.

    Reply
  15. drawandshoot Avatar
    drawandshoot

    So beautiful, Mimo.

    Reply
  16. marcus dilano Avatar
    marcus dilano

    Beautiful blog post!! ” We hold on to it desperately, we pray that the hugs will last longer” .. So true!!!!

    Reply
  17. Ronovan Avatar
    Ronovan

    I look at little faces and it is a sad moment when you see it happen. They suddenly become aware of things and it is happening at such a young age now. People wonder why there is so much craziness now. It’s because society pushes for the young to grow too fast when in reality we grew up perfectly fine at a slower pace. Incredibly beautiful photographs. The little girl is such an innocent beauty. It saddens me deeply to imagine her losing the little amount of childhood innocent time they have now.
    Much Respect
    Ronovan

    Reply
  18. Madhu Avatar
    Madhu

    Beautiful, wistful post Mimo. I love the dreamy portraits of your gorgeous daughter.

    Reply
  19. Andreas Ziemer Avatar
    Andreas Ziemer

    The beauty of an innocent child can’t be disturbed by nothing, Conserving this beauty while growing up is the real art of living.

    Reply
  20. bentehaarstad Avatar
    bentehaarstad

    The beauty of innocence. Some of it will always be there..

    Reply
  21. Vibha (www.pixelvoyages.com) Avatar
    Vibha (www.pixelvoyages.com)

    So true. My daughter is 11 now and I keep wishing that she wouldn’t grown any more. A child’s innocence is his/her best gift to us parents who have forgotten what it is to be so trusting, so full of wonder.

    Reply
  22. Rajiv Avatar
    Rajiv

    We are in the same boat. Baby Doll drops the “Doll”… Sometimes, not

    Reply
  23. Malgorzata Ingstad Avatar
    Malgorzata Ingstad

    I follow you at FB, but I really prefer to be here! Yes, I went through this twice, we cannot stop what happens with our growing children.

    Reply
  24. Lynda Avatar
    Lynda

    Oh this is just heartbreaking! I treasure my little ones’ innocence so much! Beautiful portraits as always.

    Reply
  25. Lady Squirrelogist Avatar
    Lady Squirrelogist

    Insightful observations, and your photography – beautiful, honest. I really enjoyed this post.

    Reply
  26. christafriedl Avatar
    christafriedl

    I know what mean, I have felt the same way. Now I have a little grandaughter and enjoy her little magical world, her laughs, her comments , seeing the world trough children’s eyes, and hug her as much I can do. And I am thankful that I can enjoy this periode of childness a second time. (Sorry if there are some mistakes but English is not my mothertongue.)

    Reply
  27. Helen Cherry Avatar
    Helen Cherry

    And the innocence seems to go earlier and earlier, sadly 🙁

    Reply
  28. Erika with a K Avatar
    Erika with a K

    Lovely and touching! I know exactly how you feel. I have an 8 year old boy who is starting to go through this very thing, and a 1 year old girl who I want to stay an innocent baby forever. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. ~mimo~ Avatar
      ~mimo~

      Thanks Erika, and yes, such a special time when they are babies.

      Reply
  29. bluerock {aka debrazone} Avatar
    bluerock {aka debrazone}

    beautiful images and words…

    Reply
    1. ~mimo~ Avatar
      ~mimo~

      Thank you Debra!

      Reply
  30. willdutton Avatar
    willdutton

    So beautiful, looks so much like her mom!

    Reply
    1. ~mimo~ Avatar
      ~mimo~

      Thank you so much Will!

      Reply
  31. Dalo 2013 Avatar
    Dalo 2013

    Beautiful photos, and even more beautiful and truthful words that sum up so much emotion. Well done.

    Reply
    1. ~mimo~ Avatar
      ~mimo~

      Thank you kindly

      Reply

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