The dreaded yearbook photo!

The Pea is graduating from elementary school and moving on to middle school, and to keep those sad where-has-the-time-gone-my-baby-is-growing-up feelings at bay, I've decided to focus on the lighter side of graduation -- specifically, those dreaded yearbook photos. The photo above was taken in September 2011, so it's the photo that's going to appear in The Pea's 5th grade yearbook. I happen to think it's a wonderful photo, but The Pea swears that little sticky-out bit of hair is going to haunt her till the end of her days.

Honey, I told her, if that's all you have to worry about, you're a lucky gal. My own yearbook photos were not nearly as kind......

This is my senior yearbook photo. Please don't laugh too hard at that hair. In my defense, it was the 80's and we were under the delusion that poufy hair was cool. What was I thinking? That pouf adds 50% to my overall head size, as if my head weren't gigantic enough. And check out the gigantic lace doily that's supposed to be a collar! Can you tell I studied at a Catholic all-girls school?

The funny thing is, I don't remember being horrified at this photo at all. In fact, I think I rather liked it!



My college yearbook photo is only marginally better. At least the focus is on me, not what I'm wearing. But I don't think it looks like me at all. My face looks completely flat, as though someone had smashed my face into a mirror. I'm sure that in real life, my nose is dead center between my eyes, I do not have a lazy eye.


Thirty years from now, I wonder what The Pea will think of her own yearbook photos? Will she think she looks great? Will that sticky-out bit of hair still bother her? Or will she be able to laugh about it and point it out to her own daughter in order to illustrate the point that time does heal all wounds?

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