On this week’s Parenting segment, one mother asked for advice on handling her four-year-old's sudden aversion to family photos.

“We baptised my son over the weekend,” she told Moncrieff.

“His older sister threw an almighty tantrum in the Church because she didn’t want any family photos.

“She’s usually the life and soul of the party; loves getting her picture taken and posing away for videos.

“But for some reason, she’s now taken against any kind of family picture, and only wants to be photographed on her own.

“She’s four and it’s really becoming an issue – it was embarrassing in the Church.

“She kept mentioning how she cried because she didn’t want her photo taken, so it has obviously stayed with her.

“Is this just typical tantrum stuff or what should I do?

“We’re due to go on family holiday soon, and I don’t want this to be a big battle when we want to take some nice family memories to look back on.”

Family looking at photo on touch pad in outdoor cafe. Image: Zoonar GmbH / Alamy. 8 January 2016

Family psychotherapist Joanna Fortune said not to put too much pressure on the holiday to produce perfect pictures.

“If the goal is to have a nice family holiday with memories, just go and have your holiday and trust that the memories are in the psyche and they are remembered,” she said.

“It’s okay if you don’t have beautiful social media perfect images as evidence that you were there – you know what happened.

“So, trust that and do not let that ruin your holiday.”

More engaging

Joanna also said that because young children are often still coming to terms with how to understand their own emotions, it’s not unusual for them to fixate on certain experiences.

“They’re also trying to struggle and learn with, ‘How do I manage these feelings? - sometimes they want something and then they absolutely don’t,’” she said.

“So, for example, [your four-year-old might think], ‘I like getting my photo when it’s just me, but not in a group’.

“What’s different there is, I would argue, when you’re taking a photo of a four-year-old on their own, it’s quite spontaneous.

“It’s with your phone, they’re doing something cuter, they’re in a lovely outfit and you go, ‘Oh, let’s take a photo’, and it’s in the moment."

According to Joanna, since family photos are typically more posed and formal, they are less appealing to a four-year-old.

She recommended making the pictures more engaging, such as having everyone take up active poses like skipping or running.

Main image: Mother to baby pictures. Image: View Stock / Alamy. 15 August 2018