EACH WEEK, A different Irish parent chats us through a family photo from Instagram and explains what was really going on outside the frame – from tantrums to toilet disasters.

Fancy taking part? Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature.

Sarah Harris Sarah Harris

This week, Sarah Harris (@themammydiary) chatted us through a photo of her son Noah at home awaiting the arrival of Storm Lorenzo.  

Tell us a bit about this photo. What inspired you to take it?

I took this photo of Noah because I constantly try to capture him in the moment when his personality is shining through the most. I do that so when he’s older, he has pictures to look back on of his childhood. I feel it’s important for him to have these memories because he has had three reconstruction surgeries since birth, because he was born with a cleft lip and palate.

He will have one more surgery before he starts primary school and then he will have his forever smile. I want to be able to show him everything he has been through and how proud he makes us.

What’s one thing that’s going on in this photo that you wouldn’t know from looking at it?

Storm Lorenzo was approaching and the weather was bad that day. We had been up and awake since 5:30am because Noah was teething with his back molars. I was really tired – even coffee couldn’t help me. I had put a hair treatment in his hair, so I wasn’t planning on taking a picture but he looked so adorable on his new trike, I couldn’t resist.

Noah was bored and cranky that day because he wanted to go outside, so his toys were all over the living room. The place was a mess, but I was trying my best to keep him entertained and happy. 

Did it take many attempts to get the right shot?

After many attempts and many blurry pics, I finally got him to say cheese. He’s not a fan anymore of having his picture taken, so sometimes bribery does the trick. We had a lazy pyjama day as he wasn’t feeling the best and we watched movies. I think we were both waiting for nap time that day.

Do you have a family photo from Instagram with a great behind-the-scenes story? The day at the beach when the little one ingested a mouthful of sand – or the smiley photo taken just minutes after a tantrum? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature in What You Don’t See Here.

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