Sand squished through my toes and the sun warmed my body as my daughter, son and I watched a lizard slip through the boardwalk slats. The waves crashed ahead of us and the sun was dipping in the West while pink and blue were slowly seeping through the clouds.

Last week our family safely escaped for a week at the beach. There were a handful of other families where we stayed. One evening, a family with a mom and dad along with their two sons and a daughter (plus the daughter’s boyfriend) asked me to take a family photo.

“Of course! I know how hard it is to get a family picture on vacation!” I said thinking back to how many times I’ve spent surveying the crowd to see who might a) not run off with my phone and b) not crop off someone's head.

With our one year old on my hip and three year old by my feet, I snapped a few pictures of the crew. I handed the phone back and asked them to check and make sure they liked it.

The mom took one glance at...