When did parenting get so hard?
Actually, when hasn’t it been hard?
I’m in a household with two “tweenagers” (9 and 11) and each phase of their lives has presented different challenges – from learning to walk, to potty training to letting them assert some independence.
But these tween years – all of their struggles seem to be internal, which is NOT an easy fix.
How they look, how they act, what they wear, what they play with, even what they eat becomes a categorizing factor in friendships. The recent, and continuing, growth spurt have arms and legs somewhat at odds with grace and poise and every single thing causes some form of anxiety and has them questioning their value.
Enter the be.Tween Project –
The goal of the be.Tween Project by Silent Poetry, is to create portraits that celebrate children aged 9 – 12 for who they are and not just what they look like. With a 3 step system, we show kids how special they are in their own unique way.
Kamini is a national award-winning photographer based in London, Ontario and has created the be.Tween project to show these “in be-tweeners” that they are beautiful inside and out.
Parents, relatives, friends, teachers and coaches are able to submit a few quotes and offer insight on what makes each child so amazing. Kamini compiles this information and provides a warm, welcoming and personalized photo session for each participant.
The Tweens show off their favourite hobbies and activities in an hour-long FUN photo session.
Families return a week later to view a completed show of the images and heartfelt words combined – set to music.
Each child receives a $100 credit to buy any image they like from the session so that they go home with a gorgeous masterpiece and a daily reminder of just how incredible they are.
If you’re thinking “this must cost a fortune!” – you’d be wrong. Kamini set up the be.Tween project to be accessible to everyone no matter what income. Her goal is to build self-esteem and confidence in every child.
The photo session is completely free to take part in, the child will be able to choose any photo from the shoot to take home for free, and for those of us that can’t narrow down the choices to just one – there is the option to buy additional poses and prints, or even an album, to capture these brief and fleeting years.
Click on any of the highlighted links in this blog post to go to an online booking page – Kamini’s goal is to photograph and inspire 100 children this year, so space is somewhat limited.
If you believe in this program and it’s goals as much as I do, sponsorships are needed to offset the costs involved. Consider adding your company to the list of businesses building self-esteem in children – or not-quite-children.
Next year this time the kids will be a bit taller, their voices a little deeper, their interests ever-shifting – but they (and you) will have this captured moment and these poignant quotes from some of the most important people in their lives.
We should all have something that makes us feel this loved – it truly is “Silent Poetry“.
Spots are limited, so book your session now.
Have a great one!
*This is not a sponsored post. I wrote this article and received permission to share the be.Tween Project because I believe in and admire what Kamini at Silent Poetry is doing. My girls did participate in the program and the results of Kamini’s care and talent are spectacular
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