These Hilarious Pictures Show What Parenting Is Really Like

Parenting isn't always easy. Sometimes, no matter how much we love them, our kids find ways to make us question life itself. Whether it's the classic joining us in the bathroom or something far worse like bringing a live horse into the bedroom, the things kids do often lead to more questions than answers. Does Johnny really need to color your laptop red and blue? These hilarious photos sum up what parenting can really be like, and the struggle is real.

Just One Bite

strawberries in carton with bites taken out
madeyouangry/reddit
madeyouangry/reddit

All this mom or dad wanted was a delicious bite of fresh strawberries when they came across this travesty. Their child beat them to it, and methodically took one bite out of every strawberry in the container.

That's the thing about kids, though. They always just want one bite. Why eat the whole fruit when you can move onto the next totally unblemished piece? Thankfully, this is a habit your little ones will eventually grow out of!

ADVERTISEMENT

The Razor's Edge

ADVERTISEMENT
a young girls hair caught in her razor scooter
Bwahahaha/Pinterest
Bwahahaha/Pinterest
ADVERTISEMENT

Some life lessons are harder to learn than others. While we don't know for sure how this young girl got her hair caught in her Razor scooter, we know her mother loves her no matter what.

ADVERTISEMENT

It's also important to note that her mother is clearly trying to hold back laughter while cutting her daughter free. Has this happened before? Kids tend to be accident-prone, so we wouldn't be shocked if the answer is a resounding yes.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Sibling Dynamic

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
two brothers fighting
Espana/Pinterest
Espana/Pinterest
ADVERTISEMENT

Does this scene look familiar at all? Two brothers fighting for what we can only guess is no reason while their sister casually drinks her juice. This looks like a pretty typical night raising boys to us.

ADVERTISEMENT

What are they fighting over, you ask? Probably nothing. Maybe the TV remote, or a toy that was unclaimed on the floor and now they both want it. If young brothers can find something to fight over, they will.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Cheesy Situation

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
kid puts cheese on wall
saddad9441/reddit
saddad9441/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Eating snacks while streaming television shows seems like a completely normal thing for kids to do until you see this picture. The user who posted it to reddit said he gave his daughter a piece of cheese to eat while she watched Paw Patrol.

ADVERTISEMENT

Then, when he turned around about a minute later, the cheese was on the wall with one bite taken out of it. Anything is a plate when you're a kid - this is the lesson.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Mess That Never Ends

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
child makes mess with board games
@johana_jeronimo/Twitter
@johana_jeronimo/Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Raising kids goes like this: they make a mess, you clean it up, and within minutes they make a mess again. This parent has probably cleaned up this exact mess several times just so their kid could toss open all the board games again.

ADVERTISEMENT

You might think there should be a baby-gate separating the child from the game room. Veteran parents know that when kids want something, there is no baby gate strong enough to stop them.

ADVERTISEMENT

What's In The Bottle?

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
toddler with bottle and parent with tongs
rarapooza/reddit
rarapooza/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

You know this parent was suspecting the worst when they used tongs to take this water bottle away from their child. A water bottle, after all, is the perfect vessel for a child to hide things in.

ADVERTISEMENT

When your kid is running around with their water bottle and they have that special look on their face, you must take every precaution necessary. Take a lesson from this dad, he's clearly been through this before.

ADVERTISEMENT

Always Hide The Shredder

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
goodbye savings account
@Benbelnap/Twitter
@Benbelnap/Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

This devilish act from this little angel comes to us courtesy of Twitter user Ben Belnap. Always, and we mean always, hide your paper shredder from your kids. He shared this picture on his account with this story:

ADVERTISEMENT

"So me and my wife had been saving up to pay for our @Utah_Football tickets in cash. We pulled our money out yesterday to pay my mom for the season... Well we couldn't find the envelope until my wife checked the shredder. Yup. 2 year old shredded $1,060.

ADVERTISEMENT

Anything Is A Canvas If You Try Hard Enough

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
colored laptop child disaster
craghawk/reddit
craghawk/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

If there is anything white that you own, your child will likely turn it into a canvas for their artwork at some point. That's exactly what happened to this once pristine white Macbook computer.

ADVERTISEMENT

If there is any saving grace here, it's that the kid left everything identifiable. The trackpad is a different color than the keyboard and the body. Oh, and the screen was left untouched, so the computer doesn't have to be tossed in the trash.

ADVERTISEMENT

An Unwelcomed Visitor

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
bathroom visitor surprise
atmospheric/reddit
atmospheric/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

For some parents, the only privacy they get is when they go to the bathroom. This sanctuary should be respected at all costs. Tragically for this parent, their baby didn't get the memo.

ADVERTISEMENT

Now a pleasantly private trip to the loo has turned into a visitation that you can't get away from. The second your kid starts smiling like this little one it's hard to be mad, though. Who can stay upset at those cheeks?

ADVERTISEMENT

King Of The Mountain

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
kid on top of store aisles
GetALoadOfToad/reddit
GetALoadOfToad/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

This kid has the high ground, and this father has no idea how it happened. We have a guess, though. Some kids love climbing, and if you turn your back to them for one second this is what happens.

ADVERTISEMENT

As proud as this kid must be of himself, just wait until he realizes he can't get down. As for his dad, all he can do watch, hoping that this experience will teach his son a lesson.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Mismatched Sock Equation

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
mismatching socks are not fun
woja111/reddit
woja111/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Go ahead, try to find a pair of matching sock in this picture. You can't, can you? No matter how hard parents try, kids always lose one sock. How many socks are you willing to go through before you force your child to start wearing mismatched pairs?

ADVERTISEMENT

Socks aren't cheap, but children don't know that! Plus, they can always blame the laundry machine monster for having a taste for half a pair.

ADVERTISEMENT

Remote Organization

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
remote organization guide for life with children
danthoms/reddiy
danthoms/reddiy
ADVERTISEMENT

Before having kids it can be hard enough to keep track of all your remote controls. Chances are you have a TV, streaming player, soundbar, and other items with remotes that all need to be used in tandem with each other.

ADVERTISEMENT

When you have kids, these remotes don't just get lost in the couch cushions, they end up in different rooms altogether. To make sure that doesn't happen to you, secure everything to one board that your child will eventually hide from you.

ADVERTISEMENT

Darth Maul's Biggest Fan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
darth maul's biggest fan
rdixonp/reddit
rdixonp/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Star Wars is one of the most popular entertainment franchises of all time. With multiple movies, books, video games, and television shows, there are a plethora of characters for children to pick as their favorite.

ADVERTISEMENT

This young boy really loved Darth Maul, and when he found red and black permanent markers in his home, he decided to pay tribute. The good news is that permanent marker does come off of skin. The bad news is your child prefers villains to heroes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Counting Down The Questions

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
counting the questions
motherofmischief/reddit
motherofmischief/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Kids ask a lot of questions, and one of their favorite ones to ask is, "why?" This clever parent decided to see just how curious their child was and used a counter to record the number of "why?" that was asked in one day.

ADVERTISEMENT

The results are stunning, but not altogether surprising. One-hundred and fifteen questions -- that's a lot! The number also shows just how curious children are, and even though it can feel overwhelming sometimes, that curiosity must be nurtured.

ADVERTISEMENT

Accidental Pizza Order

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
baby pizza order
Austin624
Austin624
ADVERTISEMENT

If you're a parent or an expectant parent and have the pizza ordering app Slice on your phone, we recommend deleting it. Slice doesn't ask for verification or payment when ordering, leading to some interesting orders.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the case of this picture, this baby got his dad's phone and ordered $94 worth of pizza. When the pizza delivery driver showed up, dad was left with no choice but to pay up. At least he has dinner for a few nights!

ADVERTISEMENT

The Classic Nesquik Mustache

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
nesquick mustache mistake
ImmaBadWolf/Twitter
ImmaBadWolf/Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

If you have any powdered drink mix, it is vital you keep it out of the reach of your children. You might think it's not a toy, but they definitely do. Take this young boy for instance.

ADVERTISEMENT

He decided instead of making a delicious glass of chocolate milk he needed a Nesquik mustache instead. Now not only has he ruined the Nesquik, but he has also made a mess that you will be responsible for cleaning up.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another Day, Another Public Meltdown

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
child in store meltdown
believeland77/reddit
believeland77/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Say hello to little Andrew. He really wanted to lick the entire shopping cart on this fateful day. When his mom or dad stopped him, he couldn't help but start crying.

ADVERTISEMENT

These kinds of meltdowns are far more common than you might think. You take away something from a child they shouldn't have in the first place, and they don't understand. By their estimation, the only option is to cry until they get it back. Or get to lick the cart.

ADVERTISEMENT

At Least You Tried

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
a child runs water over a book
The Anti-Monitor/reddit
The Anti-Monitor/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

While this kid probably can't read and has no idea what book he just ruined, it's hard to deny that he picked the best one. There will be no baby-proofing his life as his family grows.

ADVERTISEMENT

Maybe now his parents will think twice about having another kid. How will they raise more than one without their guide book? There is definitely a lesson in this photo for parents -- buy two copies of every book you plan to read.

ADVERTISEMENT

An Eggs-periment Gone Wrong

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
microwave explosion from an egg
RemiRise/reddit
RemiRise/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

The story behind this photo goes like this: mom was busy doing something when her kid yelled they were going make a hard-boiled egg for toast in the microwave. Then, despite the mother asking for her child to wait, there was a loud pop.

ADVERTISEMENT

The child, of course, didn't listen and destroyed a cup, an egg, and possibly even the microwave in the process. Now they are stuck eating just toast.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
a boy brings a horse into the bedroom
SeriesOfAdjectives/reddit
SeriesOfAdjectives/reddit
ADVERTISEMENT

Is there anything more frightening than waking up in the middle of the night to find that your precious angel is watching over you with a live horse? The horse doesn't belong to you, so where exactly did he get it from?

ADVERTISEMENT

More importantly, how are you now going to remove the horse? It has a saddle, so it belongs to someone. Does the horse have a collar, too? There's a lesson for this young boy somewhere here, but we're not sure what it is.