Child ruins every picture!

[mom2rtk]

I was totally thinking mean mugging in the pictures.

Well, clearly this isn't going to be settled until the OP posts one of the family photos.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

My opinion is that it depends on if her parents told her to stop it or not. If they did and she didn't listen, then in my house that would mean a punishment. If they didn't care, then there's not much you can say unless you brought it up yourself and asked her not to do it.

Last year we went to Turks and Caicos and my 8 year old son refused to smile (and sometimes be in) pictures. He is old enough to understand the request, was not overly tired, and knows that we have consequences in our house. So we took the pictures without him and he sat out for the next fun activity we did as his punishment. In our house consequences are enforced all the time, even on vacation. I know not everyone agrees with that but it's the way we run our house.

I have to say, if my son were punished for every picture he refused to be in, he'd never get to participate in anything we do. From the time he was about 10 (he is now 16), he has HATED to have his picture taken. He does for school, and I purchase ride photos so that I have proof of him actually being on the vacation. But I would never force him to be in a picture, nor punish him for it. That is one hill I'm just not ready to die on, when there are so many more important ones (like curfew, taking the car out, etc.).

But in regard to the OP, I have a 12yo daughter, and they ALL make those pouty face, peace signs in pictures. I log into her Instagram account and look at her friend's picture..more pouty lips and peace signs. One of my favorite pictures of her and I is from Epcot...and she's doing the exact same thing. It's the way they are these days. Would I be annoyed if she refused to listen and smile in just one picture? Maybe. But overall, I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[joannamet]

She's at 'that age'. DD is 11 1/2 and I can't get a decent pic of her lately without a fight. I had her and a friend, same age, for 2 weeks at lots of local attractions and couldn't get any pics of them. One of them always made a face or bunny ears or something. I was ready to kill them both!

 

[MariMama]

We can see here in the first picture, Ice Cube is mugging. In the second, he's mean mugging.
View attachment 176852
View attachment 176853

That isn't mugging.

 

[Vernie822]

12 is old enough, in my opinion, that the first few times are funny, then you're told to stop and you behave yourself and do as you're told the rest of the time.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

That isn't mugging.

Like I said upthread, in my corner of the world, that's exactly what it is. "Mugging for the camera" has always meant trying to look 'gangsta.' This is the first time I've heard it used to describe silly kid faces. In fact, to find those pics I posted, I google image searched 'mugging face.' All the results are some level of surly, not a goofy pic in the bunch.

 

[FayeW]

i hope you never tell her you think she ruined your pictures. What a harsh thing to say about your own granddaughter...

It doesn't sound harsh to me at all, it sounds like fact. Damn straight I would tell my kid she ruined the pictures and she would know I was pissed about it, too. Never calling out your child (or grandchild, in this case) when they screw up is NOT doing them any favours. That's why we end up with twenty or thirtysomethings who can't DEAL. Everybody worries about the child not having hurt feelings instead of teaching them to be accountable for their actions. When their actions affect other people, they need to be told that it's not okay. If their feelings get hurt in the process, so be it. They will think twice about behaving that way again.

 

[Poohforyou]

I'm sorry but I love things like that. Pictures are to capture memories! That's her personality at this point in her life. Embrace it. I know it's annoying but you'll laugh about it in a few years.

Two years ago for Christmas I got all of "The Littles" (as we call them) in DH's family to have a photo taken at Sears for his grandmother(so it's a photo full of her great-grandchildren). It was 14 kids ranging in age from a few months old to 10. We didn't get ONE perfect picture. My daughter "ruined" the best one by giving her brother the evil side eye while everyone else was actually looking at the camera. I was so angry but that was the best one so that's the one she got. It's one of the biggest family jokes now.

View attachment 176825

Cute picture and to me completely different than what the op is talking about. What you took would require a miracle to get all the kids looking and smiling.

The op had one kid who was older than all the ones you had and she purposefully mugged for the camera.

 

[kellyjeanie]

Like I said upthread, in my corner of the world, that's exactly what it is. "Mugging for the camera" has always meant trying to look 'gangsta.' This is the first time I've heard it used to describe silly kid faces. In fact, to find those pics I posted, I google image searched 'mugging face.' All the results are some level of surly, not a goofy pic in the bunch.

Try actually searching for "mugging for the camera." I don't know what a mugging face is, but "mugging for the camera" is a time-tested phrase that means to be silly in the picture.

 

[Melwhit16]

I completely understand what OP is saying. My 11 yo DD always has a silly face in her pictures, I think it's the age. Would it have been nice to have a couple of all smile pictures? Yes. Does it make her an out of control spoiled child? No. It makes her a happy 12yo who didn't understand that in the future she would want a non goofy picture from her trip.
One day you will tell the story of the Disney trip with all of the goofy pictures and laugh because life is messy, unpredictable, fun, spontaneous and never perfect.

Plus there is always photo shop

 

[MariMama]

It doesn't sound harsh to me at all, it sounds like fact. Damn straight I would tell my kid she ruined the pictures and she would know I was pissed about it, too. Never calling out your child (or grandchild, in this case) when they screw up is NOT doing them any favours. That's why we end up with twenty or thirtysomethings who can't DEAL. Everybody worries about the child not having hurt feelings instead of teaching them to be accountable for their actions. When their actions affect other people, they need to be told that it's not okay. If their feelings get hurt in the process, so be it. They will think twice about behaving that way again.

 

[MariMama]

Like I said upthread, in my corner of the world, that's exactly what it is. "Mugging for the camera" has always meant trying to look 'gangsta.' This is the first time I've heard it used to describe silly kid faces. In fact, to find those pics I posted, I google image searched 'mugging face.' All the results are some level of surly, not a goofy pic in the bunch.

Google 'mugging for the camera'. Then you'll see the correct definition.

 

[gwynne]

Like I said upthread, in my corner of the world, that's exactly what it is. "Mugging for the camera" has always meant trying to look 'gangsta.' This is the first time I've heard it used to describe silly kid faces. In fact, to find those pics I posted, I google image searched 'mugging face.' All the results are some level of surly, not a goofy pic in the bunch.

It could be one of the regionalisms that google tries to cover. I don't doubt its used that way in your region. There are lots of variations of words and meanings all over the world.
That said, this is more what I'm familiar with:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/mug_2

"mug (for somebody/something) (informal, especially North American English) to make silly expressions with your face or behave in a silly, exaggerated way, especially on the stage or before a camera."

 

[larissawbb]

At least it was her own grandchild. We keep having to photoshop out random strange kids that think it's funny to photobomb.

 

[Arielle22]

DD23 doesn't like her picture taken. We are at a point where I tell her I want one picture with her. She doesn't have to smile but no scowling either. She is heading back to Disney in September for another round of the College program. DH is driving down with her and flying home. They will have one day at MK. I told her, after the money we spend getting her there, I just want one picture in front of the castle with both of them.

OP, I would be ticked if every picture had one child mugging for the camera. I don't care her age, she is making the picture all about her rather than about the group.

 

[Liberty Belle]

It doesn't sound harsh to me at all, it sounds like fact. Damn straight I would tell my kid she ruined the pictures and she would know I was pissed about it, too. Never calling out your child (or grandchild, in this case) when they screw up is NOT doing them any favours. That's why we end up with twenty or thirtysomethings who can't DEAL. Everybody worries about the child not having hurt feelings instead of teaching them to be accountable for their actions. When their actions affect other people, they need to be told that it's not okay. If their feelings get hurt in the process, so be it. They will think twice about behaving that way again.

And if you are on them constantly for every little misbehavior, it affects them negatively, too. Just because someone said they wouldn't want to make their child feel like pictures are more important than they are, doesn't mean they don't hold them accountable for their actions in cases that matter to them. This reminds me of the spanking vs no spanking debate and spankers always automatically assume if you don't spank your children, you let them get away with everything.

If my child repeatedly acted that way in every picture, yes, it would annoy me, especially if I told them not to, but I can't imagine my son keep on doing it if he knew I was serious when I told him to stop the second or third time! But I wouldn't say anything to suggest that the photos were more important than him having a good time.

 

[mefordis]

I'm sorry but I love things like that. Pictures are to capture memories! That's her personality at this point in her life. Embrace it. I know it's annoying but you'll laugh about it in a few years.

Two years ago for Christmas I got all of "The Littles" (as we call them) in DH's family to have a photo taken at Sears for his grandmother(so it's a photo full of her great-grandchildren). It was 14 kids ranging in age from a few months old to 10. We didn't get ONE perfect picture. My daughter "ruined" the best one by giving her brother the evil side eye while everyone else was actually looking at the camera. I was so angry but that was the best one so that's the one she got. It's one of the biggest family jokes now.

View attachment 176825

I like those kinds of pics too. My favorite santa clause pic is the one with my daughter's face scrunched up bawling her head off!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

It doesn't sound harsh to me at all, it sounds like fact. Damn straight I would tell my kid she ruined the pictures and she would know I was pissed about it, too. Never calling out your child (or grandchild, in this case) when they screw up is NOT doing them any favours. That's why we end up with twenty or thirtysomethings who can't DEAL. Everybody worries about the child not having hurt feelings instead of teaching them to be accountable for their actions. When their actions affect other people, they need to be told that it's not okay. If their feelings get hurt in the process, so be it. They will think twice about behaving that way again.

Exactly!

Regarding calling your kids out.....my DS15 complained for the first 3 days of our August trip. CONSTANT complaining about EVERYTHING. To the point that I walked out of MK, took him to the room and I hit the bar. It was THAT bad. That night I told him he was ruining the trip. He wasn't a toddler having a meltdown.....but he was acting like a toddler over crap I couldn't control. It's Florida, it rains....I'm sorry it's "ruining" your hair. GET OVER IT. We are on vacation. Either stay in the room alone or hush when you are in the parks with me. After letting him know that he was ruining the trip for everyone he shaped up and the next 7 days went smoothly. IMO calling out your kids can help. He still talks about how he behaved and that he would never act that way again. He even wants to go back to WDW again!

I don't mind silly or mugging pictures but let dear old mom have ONE nice picture in each park. That's not too much to ask for the person who is paying for the vacation. Yes, I went there about the paying part. I'm not even a perfectionist. I wing most of my WDW trip. But I still want a few nice pictures. We just did family pictures and we did a mix of silly and posted. Everything doesn't have to be "perfect" in my book.

My DS was 15 in August when we went. He was at the "I hate picture stage unless it's a selfie or a picture with Mom." So before we went on the trip I told him I was buying the MM and I was demanding pictures as a family. He rolled his eyes, said yes and took some really nice pictures. It's probably the ONLY pictures of I have of him looking nice in the last 3-4 years so it meant a lot to me.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Yeesh, folks. I wasn't trying to claim that my region's* use of the term is the one and only "correct" way. (Nor is your use "correct," just regionally different, even if that's the way it's more commonly used.) When I realized that other people were defining it differently than I've ever heard before, I said I hoped the OP would clarify how s/he was using the word. 'Cuz, you know, apparently the meaning changes depending on where you live, so I don't know if the twelve year old was duck-facing and giving bunny ears or refusing to smile, and I was just trying to understand the context.

Now, out of curiosity, what does 'mug' mean to everyone else? As in, "The first thing I saw when I opened the door was his mug." Around here it means 'ugly face.'

*DC/Baltimore

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I like those kinds of pics too. My favorite santa clause pic is the one with my daughter's face scrunched up bawling her head off!

I know for me there's a difference between those classic pictures that the kids do something unexpectedly (where you laugh about it for years) versus when your child is doing something deliberately for 7 days straight in 300 different pictures.