You’ve seen them, the parenting memes. Funny pictures on Facebook that understand what a mom goes through in her day to day life. Oh… how I WISH internet memes were around to help me parent my children 20+ years ago! Their blunt, sarcastic and hilarious advice just might have eased my parenting gig a little bit. Although I feel that I can relate to ALL of the memes, here are my top 10 favorites from infant to teenager. Feel free to add any picture of your child to the following:
1. “Bedtime? Ain’t nobody got time for that!” It’s true. You may never sleep again, or at least feel like that is true. This mostly pertains to moms with children ages 0-4 and 14-18. Take that nap if you can, whether it be on the floor next to their crib or in a chair as you wait for them to come home before curfew.
2. “Saw it, liked it, asked Gramma, GOT IT!” Let Gramma spoil them. Really. Unless she is pumping artificial sugar or dangerous red dye into your child, its all good. Being a Gramma is important stuff. This is the way our moms get a do over for all of the things they thought they did wrong while raising us.
3. “I flushed your phone down the toilet but I love you!” Its true… littles flush things down the toilet just to see the water swirl. Keep all valuables and small items up high and out of reach. Words to live by when you turn your back for 8.5 seconds and your toddler is quiet. You’ve been warned.
4. “A toddler is a tiny person who can’t hear their name being called, but can hear the rustling of a candy wrapper through four walls and a thunderstorm.” This meme can also be applied to dogs. An equal opportunity meme for kids and canines alike.
5. “Silence is golden, unless you have a toddler. In that case, silence is very suspicious.” Truer words were never spoken. It doesn’t matter how awesome of a parent you are. We’ve all turned our backs to do the dishes and found our child eating dog food, up on a kitchen counter looking for a chocolate stash, or in the bathroom flushing an unknown item down the toilet. (See number 3)
6. “Today’s parenting forecast: Middle school drama and a chance of rain” This meme doesn’t only refer to middle school girls. Boys can get caught up in the drama as well. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is fair game to kids this age. Having children ages 12-15 is like watching a soap opera everyday. It’s better than “Days of Our Lives.” Who said what to who, why recess was cancelled and what was worn by the new kid… it’s best to diffuse the llama drama in your children’s lives as soon as you spot it. Steer them towards being a realist who is honest and contributes to society in a positive way, instead of being a gossip or a bully. Get them wrapped up in geometry or science, instead of what is going on in the halls of their school.
7. “Be careful who you call ugly in middle school.” Assure your child that once they hit 16, things will be better. Show them a picture of their dad in high school and compare that to now. 9 times out of 10, they will understand, unless their dad is wearing the same hair, clothes and attitude he had when he was a teen. And to be fair, show your daughters a class picture of YOU. We all have that one awkward picture that was put into a yearbook before being proofed by the year book staff. You, mama, are currently a super model! For the record… teach them to NEVER call anyone ugly in middle school or any other time.
8. “Welcome to being the parent of a teenager. Prepare for a large amount of eye rolling, emotional outbursts and running away. And that’s just the parents.” Been there, done that.
9. “Raising teenagers is like Whack-A-Mole. As soon as you think you’ve got one problem figured out, another one comes up out of nowhere.” Stay strong, mama. Whack that problem into left field and work on the next. YOU CAN DO IT!
10. “MOTHERHOOD. Powered by love. Fueled by coffee. Sustained by wine.” This, is my favorite. It makes me smile, and any time you can smile throughout this parenting journey, that’s a good thing.
What is your favorite parenting meme?
