I photographed every moment of our toddlers’ lives. Now I wish I’d paid more attention instead | Sunil Badami

Why didn't I spend more time actually being in the moment rather than worrying about getting the right shot of it?

• Sharing the Load is a column about parenting children of all ages

My father often liked to play Harry Chapin's maudlin 1974 hit Cat's in the Cradle, about a man who's too busy working to spend time with his son and misses all the big moments in his life - his first steps, his first words, his first day of school.

Which was ironic, because like most parents of gen X latchkey kids like me, my father was hardly ever around, always busy at work or with his other interests and engagements. I can't remember that he ever came to anything I did at school, and he didn't seem interested in anything I did or cared about.