![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Schwartz_EXPECTING_KristinRyan18days_2006.jpg\" "\\"Schwartz_EXPECTING_KristinRyan18days_2006\\"")
<\/a>Kristin and Ryan, 18 Days, 2006 \u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\nIt is all about children but it is their total absence from the images that tells the story: they haven\u2019t arrived yet and \u2013 as though nothing happened in between \u2013 they are already gone. Still they create the whole picture of parenthood by involving the past (the expecting part) and the future (the empty nest). None of the parents seem to fully understand what is awaiting them. As the wall text in one of the images states: \u201cOur lives are about to change in unimaginable ways, and I have no idea what that will look like.\u201d That\u2019s the only certainty. Andrea might need to leave the army \u2013 there may be no more deployments to Iraq, she and Brad might not be on the same mission for a while. People will curiously stare at Bobby and Kevin when they push their baby stroller around the park. Watching games will be difficult, even at home on TV, when they\u2019re interrupted by cries, feeding and changing. Having children is a big change and one so final that you can\u2019t go back \u2013 and there will be numerous unrewarded moments and dashed hopes that the future hides. Many of these marriages may break under the strain. Fortunately the couples don\u2019t know what lies ahead.<\/p>\n In each image, the faces and body language tell the story, especially in the images of the empty nesters. They are tired, burnt out, suddenly old and without purpose. The expecting ones are the blessed ones. \u201cThere\u2019s such sweetness and innocence,\u201d said Dona Schwartz. \u201cThat\u2019s something they\u2019ll never experience again because the moment will pass. I look at them while I\u2019m editing the photos on screen, and sometimes, it brings tears to my eyes. I feel like they\u2019re so beautiful and so innocent, in the best possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n They certainly have a picture in their minds about their future child\u2019s personality. The baby\u2019s room is freshly painted and decorated. The new arrivals will be greeted with stuffed animals in large numbers, providing softness and warmth. Some of the kids already have their names on the wall while others will look at celestial symbols or quotes from the bible \u2013 bringing the meaning of life into the small place. They are responsible parents who will take excellent care of their children \u2013 or at least that\u2019s the plan. Nicole and Stephen have stuffed the cupboard with so many color-coded little clothes and shoes that the child will grow out of before they are worn at all. After all of these plans and good intentions, will these children fulfill their dreams?<\/p>\n Their na\u00efve faces show how idealistic they are. They will learn soon enough what it really means to be a parent. We all thought that the baby-time, when they couldn\u2019t walk or talk was the most difficult. Then the teenage years came and we became the main target of their strengthening will and intellect \u2013 ending up battling with television-, internet- and Facebook-educated youngsters, in a battle we could never win. Suddenly they are gone after about 20 years of struggle and we recognize that the space they filled up in our house and in our life is so empty. Some of us are luckier than others, still having a career and children who stay nearby and become our friends. But not all of us.<\/p>\n The expecting ones are also the more celebrated. There are baby showers, lunches with friends who admire the growing tummies of the new mother-to-be, secretly envying it or hiding their disapproval, but still giving credit to their bravery. The expecting ones soldier on \u2013 not just the women but the men as well, who are more sensitive than ever, taking part in all of it. Lately I\u2019m getting e-mails from my men friends attaching grey ultrasound images, stating: we are pregnant \u2013 a miracle indeed (for the man, I mean). Schwartz\u2019s portraits also present what we call the \u201cNew American Nuclear Family\u201d: single parents, mixed-raced, gay and lesbian couples among them.<\/p>\n<\/a>Pam and Bill, 2 Months, 2010 \u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Andrea and Brad, 16 Days, 2009\u00a0\u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Bobby and Kevin, Waiting to Adopt, 2012 \u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicole and Stephen, 14 Days, 2008 \u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Leola, 3 Months, 2012\u00a0\u00a9 Dona Schwartz, Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery<\/p>\n