Why Not Being In More Photos Is One Of This Mom's 'Biggest Regrets'

Years after her husband’s death, one mom has an important reminder for parents who think twice before getting in pictures.

On March 27, Michelle Steinke-Baumgard, a mom who blogs at One Fit Widow and who is a contributor for The Huffington Post, wrote a post on Facebook about one of her “biggest regrets.” Looking back at family photos, she wishes she would have been in more pics, especially with her late husband, Mitch, who died in a small plane crash in Phoenix in 2009, and her kids.

In her post, she included a photo of her and her son a few days after he was born and wrote that she realizes the reasons that kept her from being in more photos now seem “stupid.”

“I can tell you my kids loved me regardless of my weight,” she wrote. “I can tell you my husband loved me irrespective of my body. I can tell you when he was gone and they started to grow I regretted not being in more photos and loving the life I was living when I was living it. Hindsight is always 20/20.”

Steinke-Baumgard, who has two kids from her late husband and two “step/bonus kids,” told HuffPost that she turned to fitness to help her grieve after her husband’s death. Even after losing 70 pounds, though, she felt she was “far from perfect.” It was then she realized improvement is always an option, but it should never keep you from capturing memories and being in photos.

“The day he died, all I cared about was the memories we made, the trips we took and the photos of our whole family,” she wrote. “I regret not being in the photos.”

Steinke-Baumgard’s important message echoes a viral post from HuffPost contributor Allison Tate titled “The Mom Stays in the Picture.” In it, Tate emphasized what her kids will get out of seeing their mother in more photos.

“I want to be in the picture, to give them that visual memory of me,” she wrote. “I want them to see how much I am here, how my body looks wrapped around them in a hug, how loved they are.”

Steinke-Baumgard said she hopes her post encourages other parents to make more of an effort to be in front of the camera. She vowed to start living her life “full of adventure and laughter” like her late husband did and wants others to start, too.

“Life is short,” she told HuffPost. “If I could get everyone to embrace each day and live life on purpose I’d be a happy woman.”

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