What we carry around in our pockets can show who we are and what we do day to day. Peer inside a journalist‘s pocket and you might find a notepad and pen, while a photographer is likely to have an SD card and the health conscious might carry a gym card. But for most of us our pockets simply contain keys, a wallet and a smartphone.
But a young child has no use for an SD card, nor do they go to the gym. They are unlikely to have their own smartphone, and don‘t really need keys or a wallet. But they must have some things in there, and we wanted to find out what. So, we asked some parents from around the world to empty out their kids pockets and send us some pics of the contents. The results were as cute and baffling as you might expect.
What 5-yo Nadya keeps in her pockets (Ukraine)
“The things she carries reflect her internal world and imagination.”
Her dad tells us that Nadya herself decides what goes in her pockets, just as long as it’s not slime, which is Nadya’s favorite thing but forbidden by her parents. The contents of her pockets can often change throughout the day, especially after walks; tissues and gloves can often magically turn into shiny gold things. Today she had plenty of spending money and a cuddly bunny. What more could she need?
What 6-yo William keeps in his pockets (USA)
“He still has a good stash of candy leftover from Trick-or-Treat night.”
William‘s world revolves around candy. Skittles, gummy bears, you name it, candy is his favorite meal of the day. And because you never know when you’re going to get hungry, it is essential to have it with you at all times. His other obsessions are Harry Potter and Lego, so a Lego figure of Harry Potter is a must-have. William’s parents are no longer surprised when they find Skittles with all the color licked off.
What 4-yo Brigid keeps in her pockets (USA)
“Brigid loves things that are beautiful or shiny!”
Like William, Brigid loves candy, almost as much as she loves her husky-pitbull mix Juno, who she would like to fit in her pocket if she could. Today she played pirates, so her pockets were full of the bounty she collected during her adventures on the high seas. The things she loves to collect are all things shiny and beautiful, which definitely reflects her personality. Her Dad found baking soda in Brigid‘s pocket once, so he was relieved to find only solid items this time.
What 4-yo Wyatt keeps in his pockets (UK)
“Experience has taught me to never be surprised by what Wyatt manages to stash in his pockets.”
Wyatt doesn’t quite manage to fit a full-size T-Rex in his pockets, but he tells us he wishes he could. There is a miniature dinosaur in there, though, along with a trusty stick and a lot of other tiny items. It all makes sense to Wyatt; he tells us, “the orange car is good, I like the stone.“ Who can argue with that? These items join the vast collection of objects his dad has found in Wyatt‘s pockets, including his own missing house keys.
What 5-yo Bilal keeps in his pockets (India)
“My son is obsessed with his cars.”
He certainly is. They say the best things in life are free. Sticks, stones, shells and chestnuts; well, Bilal will tell you none of those will buy you a car. Your father’s credit card will, though, so maybe that‘s why he had it in his pocket. Bilal has only one thing on the brain: and if he could fit anything in his pocket, it would be, you guessed it, a real-life car. He tells us that in a perfect world, he would spend all of his time in cars.
What 4-yo Dante keeps in his pockets? (Argentina)
“He is always looking for treasures to collect and include in his adventures.”
Dante likes to change it up on a daily basis. He loves collecting treasures, both things he finds and things that are gifted to him. Each day is dedicated to this quest. He is very sociable and likes to keep presents from his friends close. And if he could fit anything in his pocket, it would be a magic Santa Claus reindeer. What would he do with a magic flying Santa Claus reindeer? Take it for a walk, of course.
We had no idea what we‘d find inside the pockets of children. But we hoped it would be super cute, and we weren‘t disappointed. From magic stones, to Lego wizards and candy, kids carry only the most essential items in their pockets. Can you remember what you used to have in your pockets when you were young?
Methodology
Our process for this was very simple. We put out a request for parents with children 6 and under. Of the responses that we received, we selected 6 that gave us a diverse enough mix of age, gender and geographical location.
For the photos we wanted the most honest results, so we asked each parent to empty out their kids’ pockets at the end of a typical weekday. They were then asked to place them on a white background and take a photograph. We provided some further simple instructions around angles, lighting and composition.
Our design team then had to make some small edits to ensure consistency across the series of images, as the images were all taken in different lighting and with different camera types. To prepare the images for publication, we did some basic color correction and composition editing with Photoshop.
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