Lately, I’ve been reading articles on how family portraits displayed around your home can boost your child’s self-esteem. Really!

If you think about it, it makes sense. If you hang a photo of your family that you are proud of, not only does it chart your child’s growth (they grow too fast, don’t they?!), it also provides memories and lets them know they are a cherished member of your family.

In fact, Dr. David Krauss, a licensed psychologist says, “I think it’s really important to show a family as a family unit. It is so helpful for children to see themselves as a valued and important part of that family unit. A photographer’s job is to create and make the image look like a safe holding space for kids, where they are protected and loved. Kids get it on a really simple level.”

According to Judy Weiser, a psychologist, art therapist and author, “It lets children learn who they are and where they fit. When a child sees a family portrait with them included in the photograph, they say to themselves: ‘These people have me as part of what they are, that’s why I belong here. This is where I come from.’”

The stats and studies conducted on this important subject are out there, believe me. This doesn’t mean you have to hire a professional photographer to take the family photos. Just having photographs hanging on the walls throughout your home is a constant visual reminder to your children of the important role they play in the family unit.

Of course, I would like for you to consider using a professional photographer (me!), because it becomes an heirloom, a reminder, a memory that can be passed down. There is something about making an investment in yourself, and in your family, that feels good. And there is no such thing as too many reminders that we love our little ones and how much they mean to us!

Now you may be wondering, when it comes to having the greatest impact on a child’s esteem level, which is better, digital images or paper prints?

That’s an easy one: prints. Preferably, beautifully-matted and professionally-framed prints. It becomes art in your home that your child can see daily that doesn’t require turning on a device or using a remote control to view. If all your family photos are on your phone, laptop, or usb drive, there is no overt reminder to your children that they are being celebrated each and every day.

When Dr. Krauss was asked “if an image on a tablet, computer screen or social media site has the same impact on helping families boost a child’s self-esteem,” he replied, “my bias is very simple. I think they (family photographs) should definitely be on the wall,” says Krauss.

Thank you! And until next month . . .

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