It will come as no surprise to you that parenting is not easy. Scratch that — it can be hard as hell! I mean, yeah, there’s the good stuff, like I live for cuddling and story time, but yelling at my kids when they won’t get up off the subway floor? Or folding a thousand loads of laundry only to notice more dirty clothes under the bed? Not so much.
If you’re having one of those days — you know, like when your breast milk is leaking through your shirt, or you’re blushing at the idea of someone finding out what kind of non-nutritious crap you made your kids for dinner — you’ll take a bit of solace (or a lot) in knowing that every parent has been there. In fact, there are some brave souls who’ve even chosen to share their incredibly honest parenting photos on social media. And even though we might want people to think raising kids is sunshine and roses, it’s nice to know we can be honest about it when sh*t gets real.
Check out these photos of real parents — some famous, some not — and see if you can identify with their struggles!
Honest Parenting Photos
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The Postpartum Mom
We love Kelly Diane Howard. While shopping at Target with her brand new baby, she was approached by a woman selling a body wrap product. In response, she wrote a message on her Facebook page, urging others to support postpartum moms, not pressure them to get their pre-baby bodies back.
"Can we just offer each other adoration of the amazing things that we've accomplished and see our physical changes as marks of phenomenal accomplishment that only our sex has the privilege of experiencing?" she asked.
"My body doesn't need to be wrapped or squeezed or changed. It needs to be valued and revered for the incredible life it just brought into this world. THAT is beauty and THAT is all it needs."
Amen, sister.
Photo: Kelly Diane Howard/Facebook -
The Leakin' Mom
Not every woman would post a pic of their leaky boobs on the Internet, but we gotta hand it to "Dancing With The Stars" regular Peta Murgatroyd for keepin' it real. "Oh the joys of motherhood. Leaking boobies are so NOT hot right now... LOL #mustremembermyboobpads," she wrote.
Photo: Peta Murgatroyd/Instagram -
The Laundry Mom
Think celebrities don't do their own laundry? Think again -- and Kristen Bell looks like she's having about as much fun with her dirties as I do!
Photo: Twitter/Kristen Bell
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The Uncensored Mama
"Motherhood uncensored" begins this viral Facebook post by mom Amanda Bacon. More moms should be this honest about the realities of childbirth!
Photo: Facebook/Amanda Bacon
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The Sleepy Mom
Academy Award-winning actress and mom of three can't be "on" all the time. Reese Witherspoon tells it like it is on Twitter. "How do I do it all--with 3 kids & a full time job? This is how. Me & every other mom.
#Naptime."Photo: Twitter/Reese Witherspoon
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The Pumping Mom
Apparently it's not all glamour when you're on set. In an interview with Momtastic, actress Claire Coffee described her busy day, including taking time to pump.
Photo: Momtastic
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The Enlightened Dad
Check out this Australian father's hilarious experience that went viral when he had to take care of the kids all day. I love it when dads get a good ol' reality check!
Photo: Facebook/Brad Kearns
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The Quarantined Mom
Gotta love our germy little parasites! "Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a trip to ER with a kid who woke up with strep throat!" actress Busy Philipps wrote on Instagram. "Hope you and yours are healthy and happy this Thanksgiving."
Photo: Instagram/Busy Philipps
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The Exhausted Mama-to-Be
"When microwaving your decaf coffee becomes an excuse to sit on the floor and rest for a while.... #help #reststop#illjustbehereifyouneedme," singer/songwriter Pink wrote on Instagram, weeks before her second baby was born. We feel your pain, Pink!
Photo: Instagram/Pink
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The Frustrated Papa
Actor/entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher gets as fed up with crappy crayon boxes as I do! "Really Crayola you still won't eat the margin for that one dab of glue to seal the bottom on the box? #FlashbackFromChildhood," he wrote on Instagram.
Photo: Instagram/AplusK
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The Makeover Dad
This Instagram dad, @Father_of_daughers, went the extra mile for his girls, letting them turn him into a drag queen alter ego of himself!
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The No-Privacy Mom
And here's one I'm pretty sure we can all relate to.
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The Uphill-Battle Mom
Check out this mom's super honest and commendable letter on Facebook about being a two-time suicide survivor battling a personality disorder, anxiety, and depression ... all while trying to raise her kids.
Photo: Facebook/Cierra Lyn Fortner
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The Nervous Mama
Remember that first flight you took with your baby? Yeah, so does actress Naya Rivera!
Photo: Instagram/Naya Rivera
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The Dinner-Magician Mom
One of the funniest moms on Facebook (and the world), Bunmi Laditan, knows how to keep it real, especially when it comes to her lovingly prepared kids meals. "When you know your dinner has the nutritional value of a tampon so you try to make it right with sliced fruit," she writes.
Photo: Facebook/Bunmi Laditan
