No one has ever said being a parent is easy. Essentially all of your free time (and disposable income) is now dedicated to taking care of your little ones, and there’s no compensation or appreciation involved. Being a mom or dad never stops being challenging, no matter how much people want to tell you “it gets better after the terrible twos!” It’s messy and exciting and exhausting and rewarding. It’s all worth it to have a mini-me who loves you more than anything in the world and who you get to watch grow into an amazing person that you’re proud of.
But one essential trait parents need to ensure they can get through the day without ripping out their hair or dying from embarrassment is a great sense of humor. You can’t sweat the small stuff, and you have to be able to admit that you’re never going to be perfect. (Anyone who says they are is lying!) And it’s much better to laugh through the pain and exhaustion than to try to keep it all together. A great parent is just someone who’s doing their best.
To learn more about what it’s like to be a fabulous parent who’s open online about the joys and struggles of having kids, we reached out to CJ Kelsey, also known as That Mom Tho on Twitter and Instagram. CJ is a mom of two who works in the healthcare industry and has been able to grow a following online through sharing her hilarious experiences. She was also kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about the importance of being able to laugh as a parent.
“A sense of humor definitely helps because parenting can be hilarious!” CJ shared. “Children are naturally honest and curious– these two traits combined lead to a great deal of funny situations.”
We were also curious about how CJ got started sharing hilarious parenting stories and experiences online. “I started my Twitter account as a place to make jokes anonymously and never expected it to lead to anything,” the mom shared. Today, however, she has over 47k followers on Twitter, nearly 18k on Instagram, and 13k followers on Facebook!
And as far as what she loves most about her online presence, CJ says, “My favorite response to anything I write is when someone tells me they thought they were alone in their experience and happy to read I am going through the same thing.”
CJ also shared some wise words for all the parents out there who might be worried about trying to be perfect. “I wanted to be the perfect parent when expecting my first and quickly discovered there’s no such thing,” she told Bored Panda. “My advice is to be kinder to yourself. Understand that it is a constant learning experience and that children mostly just want to know they are loved.”
“Being a mom has changed my perspective on life and the world for the better,” CJ shared. “My curiosity for the future lies in how I will parent a daughter who appears to be developing the same attitude I had. I would gladly accept a handbook for the teenage years!”
We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect anything, let alone a perfect parent. But that doesn’t stop countless mommy bloggers and family vloggers from trying to portray their lives as effortless and flawless. 6 out of 10 parents say they feel pressure from social media to be perfect moms and dads, and 40% of moms admit they compare themselves to the curated lives of parents they see online.
We teach our children how harmful social media is and that comparison is the thief of joy, but why is it so hard to practice what we preach? Part of the reason we love sharing these “parenting tweets of the month” articles (aside from the fact that they’re hilarious) is because we want to remind you panda parents that you’re not alone! Doing your best is enough.
