For years I’ve been trying to get my Momma to hand over our VHS home videos so we could put them on DVD. We long ago got rid of our HUGE video camera, and shortly after that, VHS became obsolete. I pictured our 10 years of memories – first days of school, ballet recitals, our day to day minutia – literally deteriorating.
Come to find out, my mother-in-law’s ex-neighbor’s husband (got that?) had the ability to put those worn VHS tapes on DVDs for super cheap. But then we had to FIND them. See, when my brother was younger, he loved watching them. So much so, a rule was started that they were only available to watch during the Christmas season. Of course, the VHS player was kaput, so there was no reason to pull them out for the last 10 years. After we all refused to believe they were missing for good, we finally found them in the coat closet. Fast forward to this weekend when I got the DVDs.
Wow. As S. said, “This is telling.” From the 7 hours of Barry Family Home Movies (which were about 10 tapes, none labelled so each one was a mystery), I learned a lot. Not just about my family, but the value of video in general. Here’s my take away:
1. Home movies – in any form – are so, SO, important. My grandmother died in 2007.When she appeared on screen playing with my brother, a lot of memories came flooding back with her voice. I could feel her silky polyester old lady shirt and smell her Windsong perfume.
2. When my brother was a toddler, he thought I was hilarious.
3. Our house was filled with music. Loud music. And we danced a lot. I had a vague memory of this, but the videos really enforced it. It’s funny because in our house now, there is a lot of music and yes, even some dancing. I want Mike to have those same memories.
4. Parents who sit through dance recitals deserve instant tickets to heaven. Sure, there is about 15 total minutes of enjoyment when it is your kid dancing, but otherwise there is about 3 hours of, “Oh my god, is it over yet?” when other kids are dancing. Mom, Dad? You are my heroes.
5. My parents are how I remember them. My Dad is the funny guy who took a 20 minute video of trains – just trains – during our 1989 vacation to Gettysburg. My Mom is so patient. I was pretty chatty and she listened to everything and engaged in conversation even when other stuff was going on – like Christmas morning. Not to say they weren’t BOTH funny and patient, but it stands out on camera the most.
6. I loved the spotlight. And I was bossy. I am sorry, David, for forcing you to dance and play Ring Around the Rosey. You were a good sport.
7. It’s amazing what traits our kids have from us that we didn’t realize. Mollie, David’s daughter, fusses the same as David did. And eats the same. It’s really funny. Since there aren’t any videos of me when I was a baby, I will have to revisit these (since we can) when Mike is 6 or 7 to make some comparisons.
Now that I’ve seen how important video memories are, I am making more of a point to capture day to day life for Mikey. Our YouTube page is full of 1 – 3 minute videos right now, and I can’t wait for him to become a talker so we can capture more funny moments and conversations. And not just videos of Mike – our family and friends need some time in the spotlight as well!
It also helps that we don’t have 20lb cameras anymore. We use a General Electric HD Camera and I love it.
How often do you take videos of the world around you?
