Kim Kardashian is refreshingly honest about photoshopping North into family photo

Kim Kardashian West is easily one of the most photographed people in the world—so when she decides to do a holiday card, we expect it to be epic. But here’s the truth: This year one member of her family refused to participate. And the reason why? Well, it’s super relatable for all the parents out there.

Kim Kadashian West shared the story behind this year’s card photoshoot during a recent appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“It’s the most anxiety to get four kids together smiling in a room,” Kim tells Ellen. Yup, we can attest to this—all parents know how tough it can be to get a child to smile, pose and stay still for a photograph. And when you have four children to wrangle for a photo opp? Game over.

Kim shares that her eldest, North, just was not having it. “North was having a day, so she refused to be in the shoot. She just was crying because she wanted her specific hairstyle, whatever,” Kim says.

So the mom of four made an executive decision there and then: She was going to proceed with the photos and photoshop her daughter in later. Kardashian West continued, “I said, ‘Fine you’re not going to be in the card. That’s the decision, you’re not going to be in the card. I’m just going to take the family card without you,'” Kim recalls. “And she was fine with that.”

Luckily, North did have a change of heart. “The next day she woke up and was like ‘Mommy, I really want to do a card’,” Kim continues. “Thank God the photographer was still in town. She said, ‘I just want a photoshoot with just you.’ So I said ‘Perfect,’ I called the photographer, had her come over. I said, ‘I have no makeup on now, I look totally different. Let’s just pretend—shoot us, but cut me out and you’ll photoshop her in.’ And it looks like a beautiful card.”

Oh, to have access to top-notch photographers and photo editors a la the Kardashian family! Regardless, this story is pretty relatable for all the parents out there who attempted to send out holiday cards this year. Finding a picture in which all family members are smiling is no easy feat!

Sometimes mama’s gotta turn to digital magic to make the holiday magic happen, and we love that Kim was real about that.