As young parents we take lots of pictures of our babies. We take pictures when they are asleep, we take pictures of their toothless smiles, and we take pictures of their first steps. Each day we rejoice in new discoveries about our baby. For some of us there are not enough pictures we can take of the precious ones.

But as our babies grow into toddlers, into kindergartners, and into grade school students, us parents also get saddled with greater responsibilities that take up a greater share of our time and attention, and taking pictures of kids becomes, at best, a luxury. It ranks low on the list of things to do. And too late we discover that the kids are all grown up, all too fast, and there is nary a record of where and how things were when we were running around trying to balance life at work and home.

Having a camera handy and every once in a while taking a few pictures of kids as they go about their daily activities goes a long way towards building a documentary of their growing up years. Taking those pictures need not be intrusive or disruptive — they are made with no expectations. But they remain, the moment recorded for posterity, to be savored at leisure. In fact, those spontaneous, spur of the moment pictures turn out to be the best ones!

In later years those pictures bring back to memory long forgotten stories. Parents can look back and take pride in how they managed to juggle career and caregiving and how the kids turned out. The kids, now grown up, can connect with their past, marvel at the wonder years of their childhood, their favorite toys, their teachers, the friends they played with, and the fun family camping trips they never knew happened.

Every now and then break away for brief moments from your busy routine to grab a few pixels. Yes, it will all be worth it.