Let Us Be Inspired By Hideaki Hamada
When I got pregnant with Max, my second child, I started wondering about Victor and his role as an older sibling. I shared my thoughts with a wise friend that told me to “be prepared to witness truelove.” When she said this, I was suspicious. I have heard of so many parents having to deal with sibling rivalry and jealousy that I was preparing for the worst instead of the best.
Victor was only 2 years and three months when Max was born, so I didn’t think he would understand what was going on, but I was so wrong. When I arrived home with Max (we had him at a birthing center so I was home 6 hours after giving birth), Victor opened the door and run to “his” baby to give him kisses and say: “I love you,” repeatedly. It was so moving to see.
At that moment, all my fears disappeared, and I understood immediately what my friend was talking about. Since the very day they met, Victor and Max have created their own little world filled with love, kisses, hugs, games, fights and punches, because savagery is part of it, isn’t? It is true camaraderie.
In the midst of this, I found Hideaki Hamada, a Japanese photographer that, among other things, has been documenting the lives of his two little boys. The siblings’ pictures visually encapsulate what I was just trying to explain in words: a world of mystery and intimacy where the brothers are the only inhabitants. Everybody else is an outsider. This family and my family live so far away, yet, our lives are so similar. The children’s picture with the super heroes down below, for example, could have been my children at the mall yesterday afternoon!
Hideki Hamada’s webpage is here, and his Instagram account is here, in case you fall in love with these little ones and want to follow. The photos are perfect and made me wish I had similar ones of my boys.
You are about to witness true complicity. Please, press play to the music below to walk you through the pictures. Enjoy!
These are such utterly amazing photos, what a talented photographer to capture these incredibly precious moments!
I know! I wish I could do the same for my children.
The pictures are truly beautiful, and in so many ways. I am great friends with my brothers now, and we were always very close (though of course we fought plenty, too, when we were kids. As you say, that is part of it.) I feel very fortunate to have such a great connection with my siblings. There is a little part of me that feels a bit saddened looking at these pictures, since I have an only child, but at least he is good friends with his cousins (my brothers’ children), and we are a very happy though smaller family. Great post. Take care.
I think cousins can replace sibling love, for sure. Also, I think small families have so many advantages over bigger families. For example, I am constantly feeling guilty about the time I dedicate to each one of my two children, because I feel like I can hardly have intimate moments with them separately. When they are friendly and sweet to each other, it makes it all worth it, but when they fight (which is often) it makes it so difficult. best.