Yes, I do still love my kids even if I don't buy their Spring school pictures

[FireDancer]

In this time of pervasive digital cameras where there are cameras in phones and an HD flip not much larger then a deck of cards how are you ever going to have any pictures of your kids when they are older?

What you are doing is tantamount to water boarding and you should be ashamed.

 

[Imzadi]

I was thinking how I just have to share this with my DIS friends because I really didnt think I'd meet someone like that IRL, maybe here on the DIS, but not someone who would actually say those things to another person Hhmm, maybe she was one of us.
Anyway do you guys buy the spring pics out of love or out of guilt, or are you a horrible mom like me and not buy them at all?

EXCUSE ME!! Well, I'm that DIS person. You are a horrible mom for not dressing your kid up in clothes they never wear otherwise, and slicking their hair down into an unnatural style that can not be maintained by a living, breathing, moving child, and then buying and parading those pictures in a place of honor on the mantle for the whole world to see and wonder, "Who are those kids?"

Really! You are ruining a Stepford Wives tradition of having a portrait of perfect kids, if only in the mind.

Rant over.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Dang you already have spring pics back?!?! We have ours taken on May 5th.

I buy spring but those are taken buy Lifetouch and are a thousand times better then the fall pics, and the school gets a portion of the profit. I get the class pic in the fall and that's it, the fall ones always look like crap. The secretary picks the backgrounds and every year she picks 1985 laser beam.

 

[mhsjax]

Today my kids brought home their spring pictures. I do not make them dress up, or make sure they have their haircut before that day, or even care if the are absent because I never buy them (with the exception of one year because the digitally colored dd's hair too dark and she really liked the way she looked as a brunette ). So, tonight at MA I was talking to another mom about how they brought them home, and I looked at them, put them back in their backpacks to go back to school, and she railed into me like I told her that I had committed some crime of abuse. She was going on about how they are "your children" how could you just send those pics back to be thrown away, don't you know what that says to them about how you feel". At first I thought she was joking because thats the kind of thing I would say sarcastically, but she was serious I just told her that my kids know I love them very much, but I just don't like the way they look. She really didn't know how to reply to that I was thinking how I just have to share this with my DIS friends because I really didnt think I'd meet someone like that IRL, maybe here on the DIS, but not someone who would actually say those things to another person Hhmm, maybe she was one of us.
Anyway do you guys buy the spring pics out of love or out of guilt, or are you a horrible mom like me and not buy them at all?

Oh, she would love me. I haven't bought one picture yet and I have 3 kids, the oldest in 7th. Not one, spring, fall, or class photo. Won't do it, they stink. Also hubby is a sports photographer and I have such great pics of my kids doing their sports, with posters of them in their rooms, So I guess I am not a bad mom after all. lol

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Oh geeze...the mom-erazzi got to you. I'm so sorry.

I didn't buy my kids recital pics once...it really wasn't a flattering year and they just looked goofy. My son had just been born, so I took them to the picture place or picture people or whatever our location is called and got THE CUTEST pictures. My favorite is of both girls in their ballet costumes leaning over in a "ballet" sort of way giving their little brother a kiss. Totally okay with forgoing the regular pics that year.

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

Dang you already have spring pics back?!?! We have ours taken on May 5th.

I buy spring but those are taken buy Lifetouch and are a thousand times better then the fall pics, and the school gets a portion of the profit. I get the class pic in the fall and that's it, the fall ones always look like crap. The secretary picks the backgrounds and every year she picks 1985 laser beam.

I was so jealous my friend lived in the town over and always got that background in elementary school and our school never got it. I thought it was sooo cool!

Our fall ones are not as nice as our spring ones. We do get to pick the background, a basic color. I buy the smallest package for the memory. The spring ones are a cute background and are also taken by Lifetouch and our school gets a portion of the profits. I wish they would just have Lifetouch do the fall ones and do them once a year. Lifetouch took my favorite pictures of my kids in 2007 seperate and together when they came to the daycare I worked at.

I was the sucker this year and bought the full package of spring pictures for both kids. Yep $84 on Spring pictures for 2 kids. I wanted less but for 3 sheets it was only $7 more to get 5. The thing is they have an $84 max per family, so I feel like it is amost a rip off only having two kids when someone with 5 kids gets more picts for the same price.

Then DH was mad because I took them for pictures again the next week. They were together in them, which is different. I am getting a deal on them and get to see them before I buy them.

I like pictures I guess. These will be the only pictures I probably get all year of them

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

I got an error message and made a duplicate post, sorry.

 

[C.Ann]

EXCUSE ME!! Well, I'm that DIS person. You are a horrible mom for not dressing your kid up in clothes they never wear otherwise, and slicking their hair down into an unnatural style that can not be maintained by a living, breathing, moving child, and then buying and parading those pictures in a place of honor on the mantle for the whole world to see and wonder, "Who are those kids?"

Really! You are ruining a Stepford Wives tradition of having a portrait of perfect kids, if only in the mind.

Rant over.

Thank you so much!!! Now I understand why I have strived for perfection all of my life.. It's my mother's fault!! I'm 60 years old - and she only purchased one photo of me and my entire first grade class (in black and white, no less) throughout all of my school years.. It's no wonder that I've never been able to achieve that "perfection" - after being denied that reinforcement year after year after year..

Shame on her!! As usual, "It's the mother's fault.."

 

[skuttle]

I always buy the fall pictures, because that's just the generic school pictures that goes in the year book. I haven't bought the spring pictures yet because they always have cheesy backgrounds.

 

[jillyb]

I buy the Fall pictures because they're cheaper. I spend $21.00 for 1 8x10, 2 5x7 and 8 wallets. I was unemployed when school started in August so I just got an 8x10. My Mom has so many pictures she didn't mind not getting one. LOL

For the first time ever Hannah's school did Spring pictures with Liftouch. At the time I was still unemployed so when they sent the form home I just threw it in the trash. Imagine my surprise when I look in Hannah's bookbag and there are pictures. They're very good and I like them but I didn't give them permission to take my child's picture. A couple of days ago the school sent out an e-mail reminding parents to either send in payment for the pictures or return the photos on Friday. Ummmm...I didn't order these but you took my daughter's picture anyway. I don't see how this obligates me to pay for the pictures or why I should return them. I would think this would be just like when you get something in the mail that you didn't order. You don't have to pay for it and you don't have to return it.

 

[C.Ann]

I don't think DGD's school even has "spring" photos.. Is this only common in certain areas of the country?

 

[luvmy3]

Dang you already have spring pics back?!?! We have ours taken on May 5th.

I buy spring but those are taken buy Lifetouch and are a thousand times better then the fall pics, and the school gets a portion of the profit. I get the class pic in the fall and that's it, the fall ones always look like crap. The secretary picks the backgrounds and every year she picks 1985 laser beam.

Hey that was my favorite background back in 85

I don't think DGD's school even has "spring" photos.. Is this only common in certain areas of the country?

I never had them done when I was a kid but my kids have always gotten them. I think that the school makes money by just having the photographer come and take the pics, even if the parents don't buy them so its an easy fundraiser. I'm guessing that the photo company is more than willing to do it they probably make a killing because they recruit moms like the one I met to guilt the bad mother's into buying the whole package for $43.

 

[bumbershoot]

Now they have spring pictures?

She was going on about how they are "your children" how could you just send those pics back to be thrown away

...

She either works for a photographer or she's been to too many fancy picture places where they print things, frame them, and bring them out to guilt you sooooo badly that you leave with $400 worth of items instead of just the one free 8x10 the coupon entitled you to. She didn't have someone with her telling her to stay strong! And now, thanks to you, she's realizing, way too late, that throwing away photos does not, actually, destroy the soul bit by bit...

 

[SydSim]

They got me once - not again (well actually, they got DH - he's such a push over).

What the freak is that about anyway? Pictures in the fall, pics in the spring, and NOW, with Dd in 8th grade, they actually had the nerve to do a third set of graduation pictures Come on now!!!


One picture per year (although we did get the graduation pictures because she gave us a poo face) is my motto. We take enough with the digital camera and camera phone anyways!

 

[cheermom1]

Also if you are like a lot of other parents your kids are in sports and other things that take pics and you HAVE to order at least one!!! My dd is a cheerleader among other things and they takes pics of the team(s).

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

EXCUSE ME!! Well, I'm that DIS person. You are a horrible mom for not dressing your kid up in clothes they never wear otherwise, and slicking their hair down into an unnatural style that can not be maintained by a living, breathing, moving child, and then buying and parading those pictures in a place of honor on the mantle for the whole world to see and wonder, "Who are those kids?"

Really! You are ruining a Stepford Wives tradition of having a portrait of perfect kids, if only in the mind.

Rant over.

YES!!! I'm a cool mom!!! Picture it, beautiful spring flowers and maybe a great fake stone wall to lean against, or the pretty white pedestal to rest their hands on just so. You can hear the waterfall in the background and little birdies chirping from the trees. And here come my monsters with mohawks, concert tees, and skinny jeans!!! LOL
We usually go the polo shirt and nice hair route but this year I said pish posh, let them get the mohawks early. I can just imagine the look in the photographers face.

Side note - One good thing about lifetouch though, is they will take a pic of DD even though she's not in school yet and they will do a group shot. Very nice of them to do that for us.

I was so jealous my friend lived in the town over and always got that background in elementary school and our school never got it. I thought it was sooo cool!

Yeah it was cool...... 25 years ago!! Man, that was a long time ago, crud I feel old now.... Pssst..... if you want to have your pic taken in front of 1985 laser beam, call me. I can squeeze you in with the 8th graders!
Someone really needs to tell the secretary that it's a smidge past it's prime. Of course this is the woman who wanted to paint the cafeteria blue and purple since those were her wedding colors. Uh yeah, we went with a nice latte color.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hey that was my favorite background back in 85

Come on down!! I can hook you up with that retro look!!!

 

[kacaju]

only our middle school does spring pictures I just sent my daughters back

 

[golfgal]

The only year we had spring pictures was when DS17 was in kindergarten. I did buy them then because the picture was so dang cute. I wouldn't buy them just to buy them but if it was a good picture I would consider that. Our fall pictures are actually pretty good. We get a proof sheet of 3 or so poses to choose from so you can pick what you like. You can also select the background so the kid usually pick something that looks good with what they are wearing.

 

[aprilgail2]

I think that the school makes money by just having the photographer come and take the pics, even if the parents don't buy them so its an easy fundraiser. I'm guessing that the photo company is more than willing to do it they probably make a killing because they recruit moms like the one I met to guilt the bad mother's into buying the whole package for $43.

We don't make money just from having them photographed- we get a commission on only the ones that buy them.

What the freak is that about anyway? Pictures in the fall, pics in the spring, and NOW, with Dd in 8th grade, they actually had the nerve to do a third set of graduation pictures Come on now!!!

!

Along with the spring pictures the 5th graders also get a full cap and gown picture for their graduation taken. I always buy the spring ones because I like them so much better than the fall ones. They are usually posed on a fence or by a tree rather than the fall ones with the ugle laser or blue background.