30 Funny Pics That You Might Find Painfully Relatable If You Have Young Children

There’s no question that being a parent is difficult from day one, and we’re all familiar with the “terrible twos”. So if you’re sleep-deprived, stressed and tired of constantly singing lullabies, it might be helpful to find some humor in your situation and bond with fellow moms and dads who are in the same boat. That’s where pages like “Mom & Dad” on Instagram can come in. This particular account has amassed an impressive 18.2k followers for sharing relatable, humorous parenting content, and for reassuring followers that “we aren’t all meant to be Pinterest parents.”

Many of the pics shared on Mom & Dad come straight from their own content on Twitter, detailing what it’s like to have young kids at home and suddenly feel like your days of going out are over. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with cuddling up with your spouse and kids on the couch on a Friday night and allowing your little ones to eat chicken nuggets three times a week just so that they’ll eat something. This hilarious page reminds parents not to be too hard on themselves and teaches those of us who plan on having kids one day that there’s no point in striving to be a “perfect” parent.

If you’re a mom or dad of young children, you might be wondering what age is the hardest to parent, to give yourself something to look forward to. If I can just make it past four years old, I’ll be fine! Right? Unfortunately, it’s extremely hard for parents to reach a consensus on this topic. Some say 8-year-olds are the biggest challenges, while others swear those pesky tween years are the hardest. And of course, toddlers and teens are notorious for being handfuls. So the conclusion that I’m inclined to reach is that all ages are the worst. Sorry, parents. It won’t get easier until they’re grown up!

In fact, Elizabeth Broadbent at Scary Mommy even wrote an article explaining why exactly every age is terrible. But parents shouldn’t lose hope, because that also means that every age is the best. “You see your child at their worst. You see them at their best. It’s natural to laugh at the parents struggling with newborns and diaper bags and think, ‘just you wait.’ But remember: they’re having just as difficult a time as you are right now,” Broadbent writes. “You get used to every age. Every age comes with its challenges, but it comes with the good parts too. You take the good with the bad, the independence with the challenges, the happy with the sad.”

Because parenting is so challenging, and never seems to get easier, it’s important for moms and dads to be able to find the joy and the humor in their roles as guardians. For a previous Bored Panda article, we were able to get in touch with the mom humorist behind Mommy Cusses, Serena Dorman. Lucky for us, Serena was happy to share about some of the funniest parts of being a parent. “The funniest parts are when your kids are old enough to start showing their little personalities,” she previously told Bored Panda. “They say and do the funniest things, and it's a weird Dr. Frankenstein moment where you're like ‘I created this…’ The low-brow potty humor is also superb.”

Serena also says you absolutely need a sense of humor to be a parent. “Having kids is very humbling, and they relish in airing out your dirty laundry to strangers and narrating what you do in the public restroom stall to any other restroom patrons,” she shared. If you can relate to that experience, know that you’re not the only one, pandas!

Serena also previously told Bored Panda that it’s crucial for parents to have a space where they can share their funny experiences and failures with fellow moms and dads. “The first few years of my first child's life, I really tried to be perfect,  and it was exhausting,” she shared. “I was struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety and didn't even know it because those things weren't being talked about much. We have to show the underbelly of parenting sometimes, not to scare mothers, but to let them know it's okay if/when they experience it.”

Apparently, Serena’s kids have picked up her excellent sense of humor as well. “My 5-year-old just started a pre-k program they're doing at the elementary schools here, and every day I like to ask if she's made any friends, how her day was, etc.,” she previously told Bored Panda. “Last week, she turned the tables on me and asked if I talked to any other moms at pick-up. ‘You know, like did you make any mom friends?’ and I cracked up. She wasn't being a smart-ass, she was genuinely curious. But I'm an introvert who struggles with anxiety, and chatting up new people isn't one of my strengths.”

Serena also left us with some wise words on parenting. “I recently read the quote ‘motherhood is the hardest thing I've ever loved,’ and it's spot-on. Being a mom is filled with so many dualities it makes your head spin, and you're not a bad mom for thinking ‘I love these kids so damn much,’ but also ‘If one more person who has been in my vagina asks me for something, I'm going to flip a table over.’”

Having kids may be stressful, exhausting and expensive. But it can also be incredibly rewarding. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and your kids will turn out just fine. Plus, your kids are probably hilarious, and according to Susan Newman at US News, humor might actually be your most valuable tool in raising them. “The more we can call up our sense of humor and put [problems with our children] in perspective, the more likely it is that the parent-child bond will be strengthened,” Newman writes. “Be able to laugh at yourself, too, as your children will learn from you that so many mishaps are not life-changing and far more palatable if taken lightly. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s never too late to start using humor with your toddler or teenager.”

If you’ve got a screaming toddler in the next room or you’re currently hiding out in the bathroom for a few minutes to scroll through this list, you’re not alone, pandas! Savor these few minutes of peace, and remember that you’re an excellent parent. Keep upvoting the pics that make you feel seen, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda list that speaks to the chaotic experience of being a parent, look no further than right here!