‘Say Cheese…OMG!’ 30+ Funny Family Pics

Everyone has one of them – a family album of photos that would make anyone cringe. To this day, we don’t know why we keep them. It may be a keepsake of family members who have since passed away or traditions that have kept the family whole. But why does every photo in the album have to be horrendous?

Seriously! We get that family albums are supposed to make you happy, but why do they make us cringe? We don’t know what it was at that time that made us say yes to metal braces, shave our bushy eyebrows, or even bathe in body glitter.

Can you recall any of your most awkward family photos, and if so, are they worse or better than any of the ones below?

All images in this article are courtesy of Awkward Family Photos.

Talk About Timing

If we can sum up the family dynamic in one photo, you would have this. Talk about timing, guys! Some people, like dad, are always on top of things. Aunts and uncles are totally oblivious about everything happening around them.

The young couple is struggling to make parenting work. And on top of that, you have kids who happen to self-destruct at the most opportune moment! Please tell us your family is just as dysfunctional as ours is. It’d make us feel normal.

At The Same Time

This photographer has seen it all. But there’s nothing quite like a young couple who are keen on showing the world just how much they smother their only child with love and attention. You can almost feel him taken aback by all of it.

Oh! At the same time? The kid looks momentarily distressed at his parents, who have done the emotional damage. He looks back at the cameraman to gauge what his reaction should be. He senses nothing. “But swear to God, if you guys kiss me again, I’m going to cry!“

You Know You’re Not The Favorite

This kid has always known she wasn’t her parents’ favorite. It was something she was too ashamed to admit. After all, they fed her, clothed her, and sent her to a good school. But in the back of her mind, she had always wanted to confront them with this.

If that is not clear evidence that these young parents aren’t playing favorites, then we don’t know what is. Fortunately enough, this kid has grown into an adult. She can buy herself all the fashionable clothing her parents deprived her of. But there’s no taking back this photo!

Is There A Need To RSVP?

This man has just received a wedding invitation. He would have said yes, but then he saw this picture and then thought twice about it. “Ugh.” He asks his wife for advice. “Do I really need to RSVP? Can’t I sit this one out?”

“I mean, I’ve always known they were a bit weird. But this is a whole other level. Just what is he doing? What is that? “He shows his wife. “Tell me that doesn’t make you think she’s passed away or somethin’.” She stifles a laugh but otherwise says nothing.

Oh, A Weird Kid…

Is this the universe telling these couples they were fated to be or what? These couples are still happily married, especially that young pair below. Yeah, if they can ignore a kid lying flat on her face, they sure can beat all odds!

Sure, there have been instances when we were so close to yanking our hair when we were babysitting kids. But, smiling for the camera with a kid in front of you (pretending to play dead)? Well, we don’t know if we can do that!

They’re Just Kids

You know how parents say they’re just kids, and then let their kids do racy stuff? Well, these kids haven’t done anything raunchy, but all the same, their parents should have stopped them from putting on make-up when they had the chance…

Because that was the last clear chance before allowing these kids to be photographed looking like raccoons. Look at them. They have no clue that they will regret having this picture taken of them 20 years later. What a shame.

Going For Elizabethan

This is why it’s never a good idea to do things on a whim. It may look appealing in the decade it was taken. But it may be a source of regret years down the road. There’s a good reason we left the Elizabethan hairstyles in the past.

It almost looks like a cross between the hairstyles in the Elizabethan era and a Mohawk. We can’t tell if it was inspired by the 1540s or the 80s. All we know is that there’s high, frizzed hair shaped like a heart and framing the face.

Why The Christmas Grinch Stays Away

Who doesn’t love Christmas? You get to eat lavish meals. You get to go on a holiday break and get paid while you’re on it. And you get to send cards wishing everyone a Merry Christmas while dressed like this.

You know you are an adult when you look at this picture and feel nothing but disgust. You know you have become the grinch. But we can’t understand how some people just couldn’t bring themselves to buy a tree. Why do this?

Babies for Dessert

One of the best things that can happen when she invites you to meet the parents, apart from actually gaining their approval, is sampling their cuisine. Nothing can beat genuine Italian spaghetti bolognese. And for dessert, we have…. six-month-old babies?

We mean, we have always thought of Italians as hardcore, but not this hardcore. This almost seems brutal if you think about it. It’s only six months old. They could have waited for it to turn one year old so it would have a walking chance of escaping!

Red, Green, and Black

Christmas is meant to be spent with the family. Just look at them, sitting around Santa, with their only kid having told old Saint Nicholas her Christmas wish list. It seemed like one wish was granted – dressing up as a family in metallic rock.

The important thing is that this family is whole, safe, and deserving of a bunch of gifts from Saint Nick. As this family exited the building, the herd of reindeer couldn’t help but click their feet and grunt. They have never seen such fearsome creatures in their life.

Not Feeling It Today

This Brady Bunch thought to have their family picture taken. It was a cloudy morning during the first week of school. You can imagine the enthusiasm the kids have for such a month. One didn’t want to have his picture taken, so he did this.

“Oh, there’ll be others.” He took one deep exhale, and the shot was taken. Everyone kept stoic faces until after the picture was developed. It almost seems like a brief allude to these sisters missing the company of their only brother.

Doing Some Math

During this time, the family was going through a lot of changes. Dad left home, and Mom found another. Sis was crowned homecoming queen, and her brother, who was only a year younger, was rumored to graduate top of the class.

Is it just us, or does it look like their Stepdad was photoshopped in the picture? We hope that wasn’t reflective of their feelings towards him. And might the homecoming queen have some beef with her school? It almost seems like she didn’t want anyone to find out where she finished school.

Someone’s Excited

You know how parents can be with their first child. They are just learning the ins and outs of parenthood – taking care of their child, baking a cake, and timing the birthday celebration. For sure, this young mum struggled with it.

This kid has been thrown birthday parties before. But this was the most memorable one yet. It was his 7th birthday, and he decided to unload some on the bowl. His mom came in, cake in hand, and behind her, everyone was singing the birthday song.

Wrong Choice, Grandpa

We don’t think we have ever seen a grandparent struggle with babysitting kids before. We had always thought that they were great with them, what with the lifetime of raising their children. What sorta substance are we talking about here, Grandpa?

Because hugs clearly aren’t working. And neither is that face paint. It is freaking this kid out. It might be better to put him down and cradle him in the bassinet. That might do wonders in putting him to sleep.

When You’re Happy Being Alone

We have always questioned our aunt’s life choices. For one, she has loads of stud admirers, but she keeps choosing the wrong lot. She says she is perfectly happy being single and that this is all that should make her content.

Layers and layers of SnackWell’s cookie cakes! We can’t understand why, at the prime of her life, our aunt is acting like a middle-aged widow. She may be stocking up on all the sugar she needs in her life, but she also packs closer to getting gangrene.

This…Came Out of You?

It’s not easy having to find out that you’ve become an older sibling. As a kid, you wonder what that is supposed to mean. You grapple with a series of changes in a couple of months. And you confront lies such as “this came out of you?“

“But you said babies were delivered by storks!” Oh, we can tell how confusing it is for this older sister. She was never asked if she had wanted to carry a baby. On top of it, she has to play pretend and actually smile!

Cut from the Same Cloth

We think most of our trust issues stem from our young life. We remember having been forced to do things we didn’t feel comfortable doing or that we would rather not have done to us…sorta like having our picture taken with Mom like this.

We get it. The women from the family are cut from the same cloth. They’re intelligent, beautiful, and effeminate. But you didn’t have to take things too literally. This is a bit too much, even for a 90s throwback picture.

Before The Social Media Influencers…

Long before Kim K sold us her Shapewear brand and social media influencers flashed their expensive rides, the millionaires of the 90s showed off their wealth by gathering around a computer and then saying cheese. Oh, these guys were loaded.

Of course, no PC set is complete without a three-inch manual of the basics of Javascript. To be considered a part of this family, you had to learn how to code at the age of 8. No exceptions granted, not even for mom.

UFO Sighting

To be fair, we had outgrown some unflattering haircuts. In the 90s, we recall having tendrils around our faces or having our hair shaped like a portobello mushroom. At that time, it was all the hype among kids. It was easy to comb through.

You can tell you are a kid of the 90s if, apart from this UFO sighting, you were made to undergo orthodontic treatment. You were either cursed to wear braces of different elastic colors or, worse, use orthodontic headgear. Not a nice sight to look at, that’s for sure.

Never Mind, Dad

There’s truth to the saying. Once you have kids, you prioritize their safety and happiness even over your spouse’s. Take this woman’s example. Instead of telling her kid to come down, she snapped a couple of photos of her child standing on her husband’s face!

“Okay, a bit more to the left, honey. No, the other side, the other side. Good. Now smile!” That noisy shutter click didn’t wake up dad, nor did the flash. You might have guessed that a boy standing on his cheek would, but he slept comfortably throughout this pictorial.

The Bride and…..the Groom?

Bid these two a lifetime of bliss as they take their vows in front of loved ones. They met each other while she was ordering lunch at a cafe. He was seated across the room from her. He asked for her last bite, and that was it.

We don’t know what’s going on in this picture either. We would like to say that that’s her ringbearer or that it was given to her as a token of good luck. But that’s who she married herself to. Then again, doesn’t every woman marry a beast of burden?

Yeah, totally fine down here!

Back in the 90s, we didn’t have digital cameras to take pictures with. We couldn’t review and delete any of the shots. Nope. We had to take our chances with a Kodak film and then pray that the shots were taken at the perfect timing when we had the shots developed.

“Yep. I’m okay, Mom. Don’t mind me being trampled upon by your other sons here.” Oh, and don’t mind Dad, who seems to have taken this photo a second too late. It was just one of those moments when the universe conspired against you.

Bridezilla

We don’t know about you, but this picture says it all. It should have been enough warning for this guy who married this woman. You could tell by how she carried herself that she was part freak and part flexible.

“Yes, Lucy, everyone can see just how beautiful that dress looks. But, come on now, try facing the camera. Let’s have one good shot before we call it a day.” But Lucy wouldn’t listen, and she still regrets this bridal shoot decades later.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Kids nowadays don’t seem to have a childhood. Instead of playing tag or running around in the playground, most of them are learning how to put on make-up or pose in front of the camera. Doesn’t seem too different from this kid’s childhood.

At only 8 years old, her mom has her all dolled up and posing in front of the camera. She’s a natural, and you can tell that the camera loves her too. But every now and then, a girl has to take off her earrings and learn to ride a bike.

Girlfriends Forever

These girls can’t imagine surviving junior high without each other. They have been through lots of ups and downs, and have managed to have each other’s backs through it all. They stayed in touch even after college was over and started their own families.

It’s only understandable that this woman has chosen her girlfriends to be her bridesmaids at the wedding, and have them stand as her kid’s godmother. They were more than ecstatic. But we can’t say we feel the same after seeing the motif for this group picture.

The Superstar In Each One of Us

Do you remember what it feels like to take on an adventure without having to worry about the consequences? Think back to when you last felt that way. If you could capture that emotion in one picture, do you think it would look like this?

This rockstar encapsulates the strength and go-getter spirit in us. Of all the pictures on this list, we kind of regret not having one like this taken of us. It would be nice to look back at something to remind us how we were before someone knocked some sense into us.

Just A Children’s Book

You can never be too early to teach your kid to read a good book. This mom has already introduced them to pocketbooks. She was surprised at how her kid breezed through Lovecraft and R.L. Stine’s novels. She gave her something new to read.

Same. It might be that this kid has gotten her share of drama and horror. Besides, this young mom should know that the first few chapters of that book are R-PG. You know how it goes, right? The child who was possessed and what she did with the cross?

Stop. Photobombing!

If you thought that animals couldn’t understand us, think again. We saw this woman going on a full-length sermon about how this petty delinquent should stop ruining a good shot. She had had enough of his tricks. “Stop photobombing, you hear me?“

It raised its beak to mouth a protest, but she cut him off. “No! You listen to me.” We couldn’t make out the rest of the things she said. But we can tell that that seagull won’t be flying too close to humans or their drones anymore.

When Mom Learns A New Hobby

Who isn’t supportive of their mom and dad? These kids were more than ecstatic to model clothes for their mom to make. She had taken up a new hobby, and the best part is that it helped cut costs around the house.

Everyone lined up to receive their knitted top from mom, even the eldest. It didn’t matter if the colors were ill-matched, so long as it kept them warm during the winter, and it made for easier body count when they were at the mall.

Doesn’t Hurt Her One Bit

Kids can be a territorial bunch. This lone child only has the company of pets to play with. When her dog had to be operated on, this kid couldn’t keep still waiting for her dog to be released from the vet. And when it was, she begged to wear the same collar.

Daddy had to explain it didn’t hurt the dog one bit. But not wanting to leave this dog alone, she would wear one every morning. Now, both of them get the attention, but the dog enjoys it more than she does.

Petty Theft

This mom would find her things all over the house. She often finds her phone missing most of the time. Once, it had gone a full day without her knowing where it went. But she soon found out who the petty thief was and what he did with it.

Couldn’t blame him. We would take pictures of ourselves too if we were this photogenic. And he’s using the front camera! Just how many people can pull off a candid selfie taken from a low-camera angle? Just one! This cute baby!

Right Here Is Fine

We have never been picky about things. So long as we were surrounded by good company, then we were perfectly fine doing anything. But then again, when you’re a kid, you didn’t really know any better than to listen to your parents.

“Right here is fine!” Dad yells at Mom to level the Kodak camera in her hand. “Is it too bright?” Mom shakes her head, prompting Dad to count to three. “Okay, 1…2…3, say cheese!” Doesn’t that look like one big happy family standing in front of a dumpsite?

One Helluva Ride

High school was a jumble of memories. Some of it was good, and most of it was bad, especially if you came to school with a hairdo like this. You were practically begging to be bullied or made fun of.

But this woman managed to survive high school, graduating at the top of her class. As you can tell, it was one hell of a ride, and it’s one she wasn’t keen on taking again. Here’s to a brighter future and better fashion sense!

A Little Support from the Best Man

There’s no shortage of things that could go wrong at big events. Take this wedding. The bride and groom thought to have their kid by their side as the best man for the big day. This kid gave his dad a boost to lean in and kiss the bride.

Up you go. Oh, this groom nearly knocked the bride out with his forehead. He wondered just what that sharp pain was. He turned to see his kid running away from him, a smile on his lips after egging daddy on.

The Level of Excitement

Someone was a bit too excited to have the family photo taken. And no, it wasn’t the youngest of the two. This was one of the few days in the week this single mom could take her kids out to dine and watch a movie.

And as you can imagine, the kids were beyond excited. “Yay, mommy!” The two rushed into the photo booth and waited for the cameraman to say cheese before flashing their pearly whites. No filter, guys. Just genuine excitement!