Parenting is ROUGH.

Parenting is no small feat, and it’s certainly not always sunshine and rainbows (unless “sunshine” is chaos and “rainbows” are stress). There’s the 4:30am wake-up calls, the relentless demands for a 3rd sippy cup of hot coco, and the “adult” slang that flies out of their mouths at the worst possible moment…and that’s on a good day.

Social media is no help at all. We try so hard to live the flawless and carefree lifestyle of the influencer parents we see on Instagram, but make no mistake: those very “perfect” moms that fill our feeds are actually no better off. The stunning picnic in the park was more likely a panic attack, and the picture-perfect “sibling outfit of the day” was probably achieved with the same bribery we use to get our own kids to dress/shower/eat (where kids are involved, the promise of chocolate is always effective). 

The truth is this: behind every perfect photo we see, there’s a parent who is knee-deep in the hoopla, and no matter how much you idealize that other family, they still function in the same wild and wonky ways as your own. 

Parents, it’s okay to be overwhelmed and under-dressed (in fact, we recommend buying a couple more pairs of your fav sweatpants and settling into that buttery-soft cotton/poly blend for good). It’s okay to lock yourself in the pantry and swallow that last “Secret Life of Pets” cupcake whole. It’s okay to sit in your car and lose yourself in the Tik-Tok microcosm for an extra 30 minutes before you relieve your babysitter. Because you’re a parent. And you need a break. And there’s nothing more “a parent” than that.