Story highlights Tytia Habing has been photographing her young son on a farm in Illinois

She moved to the rural area so he could roam freely, explore nature like she once did

(CNN) A few years ago, Tytia Habing moved back to the stretch of land where she grew up in rural Illinois, just a half-mile from her parents.

"I'm right back where I started," she said, among the same fields of beans and corn, among the same people.

Except one, in particular.

Now there's Tharin, her son. He was born overseas, and he was 4 when they moved to Illinois. He's 8 now, and he has bruised knees, dirty nails and an endless well of energy. His parents wanted him to be outside in a safe, wide-open place where he has freedom to roam, and that meant coming home.

Habing, a photographer, began to shoot images of Tharin as he first explored this land that was so familiar to her. Only once she looked more closely did she realize she had more than family snapshots. It was black-and-white memories of childhoods past.

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