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One of the great things about children is getting to experience your favorite things anew through them. When my son, Aiden, was born my husband looked at him and said “Won’t it be wonderful to show him everything!” Before Aiden I hadn’t realized what a privilege parenthood is. Everyday with my son I see things through his eyes and I am amazed at the world around me, just as I am amazed with him.

This weekend my husband and I took our son, Aiden, to his first Renaissance faire. This is one of our favorite events of the summer and we were both very excited to introduce Aiden to it. I think there might have been a little bit of sensory overload as he watched all the costumed people and odd shops because at first, as I photographed him discovering this new world, he showed little more than indifference. Not even the camel by the gate could peak his interest. After a while, though, our excitement caught on and within an hour his exuberance was radiated to the people around him.

Flipping back through the photos I can see the absorption in his eyes as he took in the new experience. I try to remember my amazement the first time that I had stepped through the gate at a Renaissance faire and the memory is hazy, but through Aiden’s experience I stop taking the wonders around me for granted. I got a great shot of Aiden looking up at the court jester and instead of the adult in me dismissing the stilts, I see an impossibly tall man with a wonderfully jingling hat.

Watching Aiden throw rocks into Lake Ontario at Rudy’s, my husband’s favorite hometown restaurant, inspires him to tell stories of his first family meals there. Crawling with my son around the yard I grew up in, brings childhood memories flooding back. Revisiting our favorite haunts to introduce our son to them is our new pastime. It inspires a kind of satisfaction in us to share our life with our child and see if he likes our interests as much as we do. Pictures of these wonderful moments reflect not only our current happiness but rekindle fond memories of good times past.

There is so much around me that being an adult doesn’t even register on my radar. From the confusion of traffic to the simplicity of toes, taking a moment to see things as my child does infuses every day life with wonder. Looking through my son’s eyes at his favorites and mine builds a great relationship and great photos.

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