The Phone Booth Metaphor

It wasn't my idea to photograph the kid's inside this vintage phone booth on Thanksgiving. I think it was my daughter McKenzie's idea? Phil, Josh, and Kenzie were all game though to climb into the small phone booth, shut the door and smile for the camera. Almost like a picture booth but obviously less private.

As I continue to look at this image with two adult children and one on the cusp of adulthood I began to think about how different each of my children are. Each outstanding with unique and loving characteristics but all having different goals and ambitions taking different paths to achieve or find their place in life.

I can't help but think of this booth in the same way that Clark Kent used it to change into Superman. As young adults, what kind of character will transform in the coming years and emerge from the phone booth? As parents we all hope and wish that our kids can create a better life than we've created. Learn from our mistakes and theirs to offer a much less bumpy road for themselves. Only time will tell if that is the case.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a parent is to keep your mouth shut. I can just imagine what my parents were thinking when I first dropped out of college only to realize my mistake and work my way back toward that goal. What were they thinking when I said I wanted to be a Photographer instead of something that may have offered better financial security? What were they thinking when after the first date with Sue I asked her to move to CA with me? What were they thinking when we got married less than a year later? Good times, bad times but twenty five years later it seems to have been the right decision.

We all face our own forms and potency of kryptonite through out our lives. How we face those challenges help define our character. It is time for my kids to fly and for me to keep my mouth shut.