“A picture is worth a thousand words,” is how the saying goes. Today I want to propose a different statement, “The thousand words not in this picture.”

This picture captured a very brief moment of our Saturday this past weekend. I hesitated, as I often do, to post this picture on social media. Here’s why.

What’s not shown in this photo is…

Mama’s inability to find the tickets to the baseball game in her email inbox minutes before the game.

A hard fall on the sidewalk that led to dramatics by my (almost) four year old.

The tantrums due to not enough sleep.

The intense crying fit of an 8 month old going through a sleep regression (and teething!) on the 20 minute walk home from the game unfinished.

A frazzled Mama who didn’t use kind words and a kind tone when speaking to her husband.

Family friends who extended grace to our family in the midst of our messiness.

I personally find myself struggling to feel good about myself and my family when I waste my minutes scrolling through the news feed. How is it that everyone else has a perfect family, marriage, and kids who always listen and look cute? How do those other families afford to do fun outings every weekend and go on vacation? I often face feelings of  jealousy and insecurity after this futile exercise.

Here’s what I was reminded of this weekend. The pictures on social media are a brief moment, a blip in time.

This picture below is one of many attempts to capture a decent Christmas card photo in 2017. Let’s face it, kids don’t always want there photo taken.

Now I am not saying that everyone should go on an Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter strike. I think when used appropriately, social media can serve a great purpose. The other side of the coin is, one could present themself as perfect on these platforms, creating an inaccurate picture of what’s going on outside the frame.

So, I propose a challenge. Post a picture that makes you feel vulnerable today. Maybe it’s you without makeup, or a house that’s cluttered. #mamaonarun and share it.

In what ways can you make yourself vulnerable on social media, Mamas?