Family Matters
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Family Picture Question

So I bought a package to have a photographer take family photos for DH parents for Christmas. Ideally I thought the picture would be me, DH, BIL, BIL wife, nephew, SIL, SIL husband, and their daughter...
Well SIL is a foster parent and said she wanted to have her 2 foster babies in the picture. She has had one of the babies for 7 months and may adopt her, but the other baby she has only had for not even a week and wants him to be in the picture.
Is it rude for me to just want the actual family in the picture and not the foster babies?

Re: Family Picture Question

  • My reaction to this is that right now, that is her family.  Technically, wives and husbands may not be a part of the family in the future (divorce).  You can't know that now, just as you can't know if these babies will be in her family for just now or for years to come.
    "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
    ~Benjamin Franklin

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  • IMHO, it's fine for you feel upset or angry or annoyed that she wants the kids in the picture. However, you probably can't say anything to her about it without really hurting her feelings or making her think that you don't consider her foster daughter as a legitimate part of her family. If you feel really strongly about them not being in it, then say you'd like a few pictures of "just the adults".

     

    My advice, vent about it to DH and then let it go.

  • I feel like family pictures, like wedding pictures (gasp!) are a snap shot of the family at that moment in time. If, at the moment that your picture is going to be taken, your SIL has foster children then they should be in the picture.
  • imageMKESweetie:
    I feel like family pictures, like wedding pictures (gasp!) are a snap shot of the family at that moment in time. If, at the moment that your picture is going to be taken, your SIL has foster children then they should be in the picture.
    Agree 100%.
  • I agree that they should be included. They are foster parents and the only parents those children have at this time.

    Speak sweetly so that if you ever have to eat your words, they don't taste bad.

    ~Unknown~

    Lesson learned!!

  • I'd let this one go. If there was an dreadful bf or gf then maybe exclude them, Babies are cute and harmless and in the future, even if the babies are adopted by someone else, it will be a nice memory.
  • I definitely agree with this. Although you don't consider the foster children your family, your SIL does and what if you were in that situation? If i was, i would be pretty upset. So I would just let the kids be in the picture because you never know if they'll end up being part of your real family later in the road.You can end up really loving them!
  • Start small, then work your way up by adding family members. You probably won't offend anyone if you add people to the photo, but you probably WILL offend someone if you tell people to get out of the photo (or not join the photo at all).

    Start with a photo of just MIL and FIL. 

    Then add in their kids. 

    Then add in their kids' spouses. 

    Then add in the biological grandchildren.

    Then add in the foster children. 

    Boom, done. 

     

    I don't think it's unreasonable to want photos with the actual family members, but I also think it's really selfish to not want the foster kids in ANY photos. Compromise and include them in a few.

    Plus, it seems counter-intuitive to the actual point of fostering children, if you're going to tell them that they're not welcome in a family photo because they're not "real family members."

    image
  • A photograph is truly a snapshot in time. At that time, SIL's family included these children. Anyone in the picture could be gone tomorrow.

    SIL needs to be sure this is OK. When my greatniece was in fostercare with a plan to adopt, the restrictions around photography were very tight. They won a family scarecrow contest and she couldn't be identified in the newspaper story about the event.

  • I like the idea where the you start small and build up...

    in addition to that...have the photographer take individual families

  • imageafloggie:
    So I bought a package to have a photographer take family photos for DH parents for Christmas. Ideally I thought the picture would be me, DH, BIL, BIL wife, nephew, SIL, SIL husband, and their daughter...
    Well SIL is a foster parent and said she wanted to have her 2 foster babies in the picture. She has had one of the babies for 7 months and may adopt her, but the other baby she has only had for not even a week and wants him to be in the picture.
    Is it rude for me to just want the actual family in the picture and not the foster babies?

    It's a gift for your inlaws, they get the say in who is and is not in the photo.  If you wanted to call the shots, you shouldn't give the package as a gift.

    I also agree that it is a snapshot at the time.  For example, in our wedding photos, Dh's cousin and her husband were in the photo.  They decided to divorce less than two weeks after our wedding.  My cousin and his girlfriend were also in the photo, they were married last week.  You never know who will be a part of your family 10 years down the road.

  • imagembcdefg:

    Start small, then work your way up by adding family members. You probably won't offend anyone if you add people to the photo, but you probably WILL offend someone if you tell people to get out of the photo (or not join the photo at all).

    Start with a photo of just MIL and FIL. 

    Then add in their kids. 

    Then add in their kids' spouses. 

    Then add in the biological grandchildren.

    Then add in the foster children. 

    Boom, done. 

     

    I don't think it's unreasonable to want photos with the actual family members, but I also think it's really selfish to not want the foster kids in ANY photos. Compromise and include them in a few.

    Plus, it seems counter-intuitive to the actual point of fostering children, if you're going to tell them that they're not welcome in a family photo because they're not "real family members."

    I like this, and I agree that you should ask SIL if she has permission to have the kids photos.  It would be a shame if you had a family shot that included everyone, then couldn't use it b/c the kids were in it.

    If you get a lot of shots, maybe do invidividual families next (MIL and FIL, you and DH, and SIL and her family - inlcuding foster kids, and maybe even one of kids only.

    image "Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.
  • Please consider the feelings of those children!  Their lives have been hard already.  A welcoming gesture is probably gold to them.  As much as you do not see them as important in the family, they see family as the only support they currently have.
  • SIL is only having the 1 week old baby for a few weeks that is why I am confused as to why she wants him in the picture. Also, since they are foster parents they are not allowed to show pictures of the babies so that also confuses me because I want to give these pictures out and wont be able to if the foster children are in the pictures.
  • imageafloggie:
    Also, since they are foster parents they are not allowed to show pictures of the babies so that also confuses me because I want to give these pictures out and wont be able to if the foster children are in the pictures.
    Well, from that perspective, I think you can say "Great, we'll take a few pictures w/ the babies, but then I want to get a couple without.  As we can't display their pictures, I want some family shots that I will be able to put out.".
    "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
    ~Benjamin Franklin

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
    DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10

  • I know a couple who have had the same 3 foster children for about 13 years and 9 years.  These three girls are now all legal adults, but they still go to their foster parents rather than their birth parents for help and support.  They are their real parents.  Foster situations can be very long term sometimes and if it is that important to your SIL then I say just let her have them in the photo.  She obviously cares about them and it is important to her so I say just let her do it. 
  • imagecatcronley:
    I'd let this one go. If there was an dreadful bf or gf then maybe exclude them, Babies are cute and harmless and in the future, even if the babies are adopted by someone else, it will be a nice memory.

     

    I agree! 

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  • imagembcdefg:

    Start small, then work your way up by adding family members. You probably won't offend anyone if you add people to the photo, but you probably WILL offend someone if you tell people to get out of the photo (or not join the photo at all).

    Start with a photo of just MIL and FIL. 

    Then add in their kids. 

    Then add in their kids' spouses. 

    Then add in the biological grandchildren.

    Then add in the foster children. 

    Boom, done. 

     

    I don't think it's unreasonable to want photos with the actual family members, but I also think it's really selfish to not want the foster kids in ANY photos. Compromise and include them in a few.

    Plus, it seems counter-intuitive to the actual point of fostering children, if you're going to tell them that they're not welcome in a family photo because they're not "real family members."

    ITA with this.  This is how we did our latest family photos and it worked really well (mind you, we didn't have foster kids, but teenaged boyfriends). And if you don't want to differentiate between "real" kids and "foster" kids- then do all of the above, except at the very end just put all the kids in together at once.  That way you've got SOME pictures of just immediate family.

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