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Hugs, giggles, and their first I-love-yous, whopping bills, tantrums, and a constant state of worry – parenthood is a rocky journey that will reward you one day and make you contemplate your choices the next. 

It’s a common occurrence to feel exhausted and burnt out; at the end of the day, it’s not your usual 9 to 5 where you eagerly await tapping out on a lovely Friday evening, knowing that you’ve got a couple of days to spend in your own company. 

Caring for a child can suck the life out of you, especially given how the modern world expects you to juggle a million things at a time. It’s a demanding job that needs your complete dedication; however, it’s crucial to realize that everyone feels the weight of parenthood at some point or another, so don’t beat yourself up over it, and get ready to have a little fun with these parenting memes. 

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It goes without saying that becoming a parent is a tremendously difficult experience.

You may compare it to sailing into a storm on a shaky ship, or riding a rollercoaster – you know, bumpy and filled with twisty paths.

Now, of course, it’s also a very rewarding thing, but in addition to the deepest sentiments of love and joy, being a parent may cause you to feel the most worry, stress, frustration, wrath, and hatred you have ever felt in a relationship with another person.

But what’s a better way to remind yourself that you’re not alone than to look at some memes? Average Parent Problems is an Instagram page that dedicates its postings to, well, parenting and its universally experienced problems. The page currently has over 458K followers and is run by an influencer called Ilana Wiles.

Let’s learn a little more about the creator of the page! Ilana describes herself in the following manner on her blog, Mommy Shorts: “I’m a working mom from NYC who writes a blog instead of sleeping. I have two daughters. Harlow is seven years old and Mazzy is ten. If you think you have more adorable children, Mazzy and Harlow will challenge your children to a cuteness contest. Where everyone will automatically tie. Because pitting our kids against each other is totally NOT COOL. (Although I do it all the time.)”

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The blogger then added: “I worked as a creative director in advertising for over 15 years before I quit to focus on Mommy Shorts full-time in November 2013. Using this blog to earn a living is more work than I ever imagined but nothing beats the flexibility of running your own business when you have kids.”

Data from a 2020 poll by diaper-rash firm Boudreaux’s Butt Paste shows that just 12% of parents feel ready when they have their first kid, and most of you would probably agree that such a figure isn’t particularly shocking.

The idea that people can only be ready for children after checking off certain items on a checklist has been floating about for a very long time. And while it’s unquestionably true that having a degree and a stable and well-paying career, being in a secure relationship, and owning a home will allow you to handle parenthood better, there’s one aspect of this notion that is a little faulty: you will never truly be “ready” to have kids.

It's sort of similar to how you’re already considered an adult, but despite that, no matter how many birthdays pass, you simply never feel like one.

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Time will tick, and chances are that you won’t ever wake up and suddenly feel like you’re finally in the right position to tackle parenthood. 

For instance, most individuals choose to delay having children until they are financially stable – however, let’s face it, there’s no such thing as “enough money,” unless you’re one of the Kardashians of course. Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get prepared at all; it just means that there isn’t a clear checkpoint for that.

You can never know enough, which is another important aspect to remember. Most people have no idea what they’re doing with their lives, let alone what they should be doing and/or how they should care for another human being.

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Headless Roach
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Be careful where you keep the stash though, Easter bunny search reveals all your secrets

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We’re all learning as we go, and let’s not forget that every child is unique, so you won’t be able to find a manual that will provide you with all the advice you need to make the process smooth and easy. Do whatever you see fit, read as many guides as you want, and take however much time you need – but do it with confidence and don’t compare yourself to others.

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kitten levels tokyo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, I can tell them apart. How? I’m their mom… (One twin has a giant magic marker “X” on their chest…)

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Bored Panda hopes that you’ve enjoyed this humorous yet very relatable ensemble of parenthood memes! Give Ilana a follow and don’t forget to let us know which post resonated with you the most.

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Pedantic Panda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Spend months teaching them to walk and talk, then years telling them to sit down and be quiet.

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Robert B
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Years ago on a trip to bass pro, I left my wife and eldest (then only, ~3-4 years) at the boats to go look at something. Apparently my son, who is also a burrowing creature of some sort, got past his mother and into the deck storage of a party barge. She said it was like whack-a-mole. He would just appear and then go down and pop up somewhere else. All fine and dandy until he asked “ is this where I go to the bathroom?” Thankfully he didn’t soil a boat.

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Cassi Lyris
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trust me, this isn't a "boy" thing, this is a 3 year old thing...

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I'm.Just.A.Girl
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

His fingers are bent into the carpet. At first I thought it was a plastic hand

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harpling
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, there's something odd about that hand. Maybe there just happened to be a doll's arm on the floor behind? Or it's really bad photoshop? Seriously, both arms are kind of alarming!

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Pizzagirl 91
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, this is what happens when you don't mow your carpet regularly

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David Branson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I found heat vents that I could screw down. I makes it harder to retrieve Legos, but it keeps the kids out.

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Alexandria Tyme
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For a split second I thought the kid had got hold of a very large bag of kitty litter and spread it everywhere

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Caroline Driver
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Took me a moment to work out what was going on here - was he sinking in quicksand or born with no lower body?

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O.M.Miki
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i'mn confused is that quick sand quick carpet what am i looking at ! ;)

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Shelley DuVal
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son, except change that hole for a water trough for horses. In winter. Naked. Clothes on the wet ground. Blue lips.

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Liz Rogers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This reminds me of my (now engineer) son. Most kids' first drawing they make is a person of some sort. His first picture he gave me was of some straight lines with some squiggly lines above. I took a guess and I was right! It was the vent.

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JKJ
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm surprised the response didn't involve his dingaling.

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Shannon Mallory
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dave Barry the humorist once defined "boy" as "a noise with dirt on it." When I had a boy I realized how spot on Dave was.

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Scott Anderson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like they're trying to lower the boy instead of raising him

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MygrandsonscallmeNia
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Boys... I raised one, and now raising two. I want to just disappear some days.

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Amanda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OmyHell!! Lol and they did so well with the plug covers n everything...forgot to duct tape the vent to floor. We had to at my mom's after my nephew started throwing toys down but that was after he did this same thing. after laughing for a minute the boy began screaming bloody murder because he couldn't see his toes and thought something was gonna bite them off!! I think one of the other kids may have whispered something to him.

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grotesqueer
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, it really isn't a gender thing per se, but parents raise their kids differently depending on their gender (often subconsciously without knowing). Eg. boys are encouraged to be adventurous more than girls, and girls get encouragement from being helpful more often than boys etc.

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Headless Roach
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You don't usually cut away those little legs, but hey, you do you.

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Lori Rogers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh the joy of heater vents. My daughter, after being put in time out would go p**p in the vent in her room.

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Z Alexi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Time outs when kids are confined to their rooms, take place after bathroom trips. They're kids, ok?

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Cassandra Wee
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents keeps my daughters artwork from aged 6months old to this day when she is now 8! 😑

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kitten levels tokyo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For people with no kids the most relaxing thing in the world is to watch parents run around like crazy people.

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*Displayname*=idk
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same with siblings. When my siblings went to bed it was game time. You get to eat all the snacks they want to eat just because you could.

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*Displayname*=idk
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never understood much about boy bands, or why people obsess over them. Like, they are just people who sing songs with their bros..?

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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom told us we were not allowed to play that anymore. (cause we were too "loud") EDIT: Why are people being so mean about my grammar. Grammar is not my strong suit, so why judge me? I say the word "cause", because I was raised with that word. I see nothing wrong. And what good does being mean do? And just know that some people don't take bullying well. I have been bullied practically my whole life, and I will not let it continue. It helps nobody. Also @gas station cola, if you are so concerned about grammar why don't you become a grammar teacher, maybe fix your first letters of your username to a capital letters.

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