Australian blogger Laura Mazza started her blog The Mum on the Run after struggling with postnatal depression with her first child, Luca. She felt alone and confused, and so began writing to connect with other mums who might be going through a similar situation. And because quite simply, she enjoys writing.
Image credits: Laura Mazza
The blog now has almost 250k followers thanks to her heartfelt and honest posts, where she discusses everything from anxiety to the first poop. Laura’s straightforward, no bulls**t writing style has really endeared her to her readers – she clearly loves her kids to bits and wouldn’t have it any other way, but there’s no sugarcoating of things here!
Laura’s latest viral post is some tongue-in-cheek ‘preparation’ for having kids. How can you really know what to expect? Well, Laura has put together a handy checklist of things you can try, which might give you a basic idea of what parenthood is really like.
Image credits: Laura Mazza
Nothing like a bit of real-life experience to get you mentally prepared for what’s to come! The post quickly caught on with sympathetic parents and horrified non-parents alike, with over 120k likes and shares on Laura’s Facebook page.
Image credits: Laura Mazza
Besides her blogging, Laura is a social worker. She took her masters in psychology with the ultimate goal of helping new mamas to cope with their sudden life changes, which she manages to do in all kinds of creative and often amusing ways.
Image credits: Laura Mazza
“For once I don’t think I saw any negative comments, every kid is the same!” Laura told Bored Panda about her latest viral post. “Even the older generation of followers told me it gave them a good laugh because it was the same for them, and those are the days they DON’T miss.”
Despite the obvious difficulties and frustrations that can come with parenthood, Laura firmly believes that if she had to do it all over again, she would do it exactly the same way. “As much as I’m sleep deprived, my hair is more silver than tinsel and I look like an old haggard woman who can’t jump without having protective underwear on, I wouldn’t change a thing,” she told us.
“Every day is an adventure and if I was overly prepared, I don’t think it would be.”
Image credits: Laura Mazza
What do you think? Can you relate to some of this ‘advice?’ Scroll down below to read other people’s reactions, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Image credits: Laura Mazza
Here’s what people had to say about the hilarious post
There is also the part where your kid wants to cuddle only you, and tells you the sweetest little things like..you are the best mum in the whole world...or no one is more important to me than you dad...or your stomach is so squishy and I love it. So yep bring on another kid please.
My son recently started saying “I love you lots as the stars” and he is always up for a cuddle. My daughter on the other hand is a teen, so don’t get much hugs from her but we are still close that she can talk to me.
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1) get ready to love someone unconditionally so much you can't imagine anything else. I know these posts are done in fun, but most of the time being a parent is the best thing ever. Like the first time your child says I love you unprompted
Yes! The good parts get left out far too often. My not quite 2 year old has recently started giving my this thousand watt smile that lights up his whole face. Then he'll throw his little arms around me and give me THE BEST hug ever. And yes, I also love my dog. And I loved my toddlers when I worked at a daycare back before I had kids of my own. I used to think I loved those kids (and my dog) like my own, but I didn't. It can't even compare. This kind of love is instinctual and very very deep. I'm a major pacifist but I will never forget gazing at my newborn son and thinking, 'I would literally scratch the eyes out of anyone who tries to hurt you.' Sounds crazy right? It makes perfect sense though if you're a parent.
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And another one for the file 'why I never want children'. Thank you, BP.
And we’re all happy you’re not reproducing. People who don’t want kids should never have them.
Load More Replies... These are all lies I tell ya, LIES lol. You may THINK you are ready for children but you never really are lol. I absolutely LOVE my kids but jeez they are hard bloody work.
What is it recently with all those "funnily showing how annoying it is to have children"? If it's supposed to make me think having kids is nice, I don't know why it should. It makes me back off from even thinking about having kids even more than I already was.
It's not intended to convince anyone to have children. Acknowledging the difficulties of any effort is a part of embracing it fully. If we only talk about the "joys" of something, it becomes unrealistic, even to those who experience it. Also, it provides venting and empathy, letting one know they're not alone.
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Another possible alternative is to read the short poem: This Be The Verse by Philip Larkin. found here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48419/this-be-the-verse
I was so shocked at my first( and only) baby. True Id never been around kids...the biggest shock, other than they sleep for 3 hours at a time, was how many diapers!! 10-12 if you breastfeed. Whuuuut?! Nobody told me. But he is a great kid...I just did not enjoy the baby stage.
So the Sarah Graveholt comment about her dad as a kid......the s**t hit the fan.......
That one had me rolling! But also horrified. First thought: oh my God, that's hilarious. Second thought: that mess must have been mind blowing. Just thinking about it makes me want to giggle hysterically while hugging myself and rocking back and forth.
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When my daughter was about 15 months I was in shower getting ready for work. She climbed over baby gate to the kitchen, grabbed a dozen eggs, climbed back over the gate without breaking g one and eat in front of blues clues and quietly broke every one in a pile. In my carpet. I was late to work that day. Still haven't forgiven her for the mess. ( yes I have, she's 22 now).
love the baby shark one. still need to do it longer. my baby brother is addicted to it
Poop fan was best xD one of my kids make real poop art.. 😂 Painting bed and wall side of bed.. Sooo quiet.. I was sleeping other side of bed.. Then my six month old lay hand on my face.. One smelling and i was up like rocket.. xD so proud smile on face.. Five time same job.. xD no poop in diaber.. Untile i found diaber pants artist could not takeaway.. Bad english but you get point.. xD
My big one is peanut butter on the sliding glass door. I also have goats that frequently run loose in the yard and love staring at us through the glass so I'm never entirely sure if it's peanut butter on the inside or goat nose prints on the outside. All I know is, it's perpetually dirty. Also she forgot to mention phantom crying. No one ever tells you about that one. The children can be sleeping peacefully and still your brain tricks you into thinking one of them is crying. They aren't, but you still have to get all the way out of bed j
Would be nice to have a post about all the nice things about having kids.
For me, the most disappointing about being mother is the fact that you have to do a million things every day, again and again and the only result is that next day you start again. There's no finished projects, no done work, nothing visible behind you at the end of the day. And in my country it's called "maternal holiday" 😆 If someone ask me how to train for parenting I'd recomend them to borrow a gang of deaf tigers.
That's life. Everyone does the same routine every day, unless you're a celebrity or a millionaire that can afford not to work and do something different every day of the week. Unfortunately, for 99% of us, we cannot afford to have that lifestyle. This isn't a thing only moms do. This is everyone.
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And this is why I have no kids. I will NEVER have to deal with any of that, and it makes me so happy. I revel in the suffering of people who tell me I'm "selfish" and "not a real woman". They're the ones that are so jealous of me they bleed green.
Good Lord no one is jealous of you. That weird to walk around thinking that.
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Kids are awesome! But yes, they tend to create a mess. Huuuuuge mess.
The process of having a kid : I don't want kids, I don't want kids, I don't want kids. *sometime in your 30-s* "Oh, what the hell. Life sucks enough anyhow." *few days into parenthood* "I immediately regret my decision !" . Of course, you have to stick with it. So now you begin trying to goad others into having kids, for laughs :D
There is also the part where your kid wants to cuddle only you, and tells you the sweetest little things like..you are the best mum in the whole world...or no one is more important to me than you dad...or your stomach is so squishy and I love it. So yep bring on another kid please.
My son recently started saying “I love you lots as the stars” and he is always up for a cuddle. My daughter on the other hand is a teen, so don’t get much hugs from her but we are still close that she can talk to me.
Load More Replies... 1) get ready to love someone unconditionally so much you can't imagine anything else. I know these posts are done in fun, but most of the time being a parent is the best thing ever. Like the first time your child says I love you unprompted
Yes! The good parts get left out far too often. My not quite 2 year old has recently started giving my this thousand watt smile that lights up his whole face. Then he'll throw his little arms around me and give me THE BEST hug ever. And yes, I also love my dog. And I loved my toddlers when I worked at a daycare back before I had kids of my own. I used to think I loved those kids (and my dog) like my own, but I didn't. It can't even compare. This kind of love is instinctual and very very deep. I'm a major pacifist but I will never forget gazing at my newborn son and thinking, 'I would literally scratch the eyes out of anyone who tries to hurt you.' Sounds crazy right? It makes perfect sense though if you're a parent.
Load More Replies... And another one for the file 'why I never want children'. Thank you, BP.
And we’re all happy you’re not reproducing. People who don’t want kids should never have them.
Load More Replies... These are all lies I tell ya, LIES lol. You may THINK you are ready for children but you never really are lol. I absolutely LOVE my kids but jeez they are hard bloody work.
What is it recently with all those "funnily showing how annoying it is to have children"? If it's supposed to make me think having kids is nice, I don't know why it should. It makes me back off from even thinking about having kids even more than I already was.
It's not intended to convince anyone to have children. Acknowledging the difficulties of any effort is a part of embracing it fully. If we only talk about the "joys" of something, it becomes unrealistic, even to those who experience it. Also, it provides venting and empathy, letting one know they're not alone.
Load More Replies... Another possible alternative is to read the short poem: This Be The Verse by Philip Larkin. found here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48419/this-be-the-verse
I was so shocked at my first( and only) baby. True Id never been around kids...the biggest shock, other than they sleep for 3 hours at a time, was how many diapers!! 10-12 if you breastfeed. Whuuuut?! Nobody told me. But he is a great kid...I just did not enjoy the baby stage.
So the Sarah Graveholt comment about her dad as a kid......the s**t hit the fan.......
That one had me rolling! But also horrified. First thought: oh my God, that's hilarious. Second thought: that mess must have been mind blowing. Just thinking about it makes me want to giggle hysterically while hugging myself and rocking back and forth.
Load More Replies... When my daughter was about 15 months I was in shower getting ready for work. She climbed over baby gate to the kitchen, grabbed a dozen eggs, climbed back over the gate without breaking g one and eat in front of blues clues and quietly broke every one in a pile. In my carpet. I was late to work that day. Still haven't forgiven her for the mess. ( yes I have, she's 22 now).
love the baby shark one. still need to do it longer. my baby brother is addicted to it
Poop fan was best xD one of my kids make real poop art.. 😂 Painting bed and wall side of bed.. Sooo quiet.. I was sleeping other side of bed.. Then my six month old lay hand on my face.. One smelling and i was up like rocket.. xD so proud smile on face.. Five time same job.. xD no poop in diaber.. Untile i found diaber pants artist could not takeaway.. Bad english but you get point.. xD
My big one is peanut butter on the sliding glass door. I also have goats that frequently run loose in the yard and love staring at us through the glass so I'm never entirely sure if it's peanut butter on the inside or goat nose prints on the outside. All I know is, it's perpetually dirty. Also she forgot to mention phantom crying. No one ever tells you about that one. The children can be sleeping peacefully and still your brain tricks you into thinking one of them is crying. They aren't, but you still have to get all the way out of bed j
Would be nice to have a post about all the nice things about having kids.
For me, the most disappointing about being mother is the fact that you have to do a million things every day, again and again and the only result is that next day you start again. There's no finished projects, no done work, nothing visible behind you at the end of the day. And in my country it's called "maternal holiday" 😆 If someone ask me how to train for parenting I'd recomend them to borrow a gang of deaf tigers.
That's life. Everyone does the same routine every day, unless you're a celebrity or a millionaire that can afford not to work and do something different every day of the week. Unfortunately, for 99% of us, we cannot afford to have that lifestyle. This isn't a thing only moms do. This is everyone.
Load More Replies... And this is why I have no kids. I will NEVER have to deal with any of that, and it makes me so happy. I revel in the suffering of people who tell me I'm "selfish" and "not a real woman". They're the ones that are so jealous of me they bleed green.
Good Lord no one is jealous of you. That weird to walk around thinking that.
Load More Replies... Kids are awesome! But yes, they tend to create a mess. Huuuuuge mess.
The process of having a kid : I don't want kids, I don't want kids, I don't want kids. *sometime in your 30-s* "Oh, what the hell. Life sucks enough anyhow." *few days into parenthood* "I immediately regret my decision !" . Of course, you have to stick with it. So now you begin trying to goad others into having kids, for laughs :D
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