I had a great time reading to some 3rd graders in Elkhorn recently and it got me to thinking about the essence of the goofy picture.

Don't get me wrong. These youngsters were fantastic and had the typical energy of that age. I'm looking at the bigger picture here -- no pun intended.

Do parents just take sooooo many photos of their children that patience has been eroded?

I know I'm guilty of this.

I also assume that I was probably the same way as a kid. The only difference is I lost patience while I waited the minute-or-so for the Polaroid to come into color.

Maybe it's just a sign of the digital age. Without film, children now know we can take 100 pictures at a time and we aren't out anything except time.

Usually the only way I can get the good shot with my son is to promise I'll let his inner beast of goofiness run wild at some point and capture it on the camera.

I have to admit -- I enjoy doing the goofy pictures too!