30 Hilarious Before And After Photos Of How Life Changes After Having Kids

Bored Panda was lucky enough to speak to Mike himself, who shared some of his famously witty insights on the realities of parenting with us.

"Look, I don’t hate my kids, I just hate parenting," he told us with a laugh. "That’s really all it boils down to, and is the premise behind all my Dad and Buried stuff - my blog, my Instagram page, my Facebook, and my podcast (Dad and Buried - subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you get podcasts!) - and my Got Toddlered account."

"Parenting is challenging and frustrating and expensive and exhausting and stressful and boring, and while my sons are often all of those things as well, I don’t regret having them. How dare you suggest such a thing just because I occasionally make jokes and memes that make it seem that way!"

"I mock and troll my kids, and I trash and ridicule parents and parenting, and myself, because that’s my sense of humor, and my sense of humor is what keeps me sane amidst the all-consuming hellscape of attempting to protect and raise ignorant, unformed, self-destructive miniature human beings."

"I recently had a job interview. Job interviews are stressful no matter what stage of life you’re at, but, like everything else, having children raises the stress exponentially. I’m not just providing for myself anymore, and the stakes are much higher now; the consequences of blowing a job interview are a lot more intense. And so was getting there, because I had to take my toddler with me."

"Being unemployed, we can’t afford childcare, so I had to ride the subway, in a full suit, on one of the hottest days of the summer, with my toddler on my lap and/or napping next to me. Thankfully I didn’t have to bring him to the interview itself; I was able to drop him with my wife. The logistics of all of this – the scheduling, the traveling, the hand off, the carrying of a sleeping toddler across Manhattan while sweat poured off me like a waterfall, etc. – were incredibly complicated."

"None of this was ideal. But I had to do it, I had to put my best foot forward for the job, so I can provide for my family, and, more importantly, so I can get the hell out of my house. I can’t handle being a stay at home dad for another minute!"

Mike's kids are 8 (9 in September) and 3.5. Right now he's a stay at home dad, not exactly by choice, and he spends his time writing honest and insightful blogs about the issues that he struggles with at times. Because scrolling through social media, you'd be forgiven for thinking that everyone is just the perfect parent - happy, energetic and full of great ideas for nurturing excellent human beings. You rarely see behind the curtain! Mike gives an honest evaluation of parenthood, and his blog is essential reading for parents and non parents alike!