Parenthood summed up in one priceless photo

Want to know about being a parent really looks like? Here is the photo that we all can relate to. No words necessary.

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Raising kids isn’t for the fainthearted. It can be messy, exhausting, hilarious and disgusting (and usually all in the same day). Although many mums prefer to sweep these less-than-perfect moments under the rug and away from the social media spotlight, other mums let it all hang out.

Esther Anderson falls into the latter category. And the entire parenting population adore her for it.

Esther, who is the mum behind highly popular site Story of This Life, recently shared a photo of herself with her littlest daughter, Tessa.

And it pretty much sums up what being a mum is all about.

The sock says it all

After all, what mum hasn’t found herself on the floor, wearing daggy clothes with her child lying on top of them? To add to the imperfect parenting moment, little Tessa also has a finger in her mum’s eye.

Because that’s what babies do.

But it gets better. Look closely and you will see a pesky lone sock in the foreground. Because we all know how socks seem to pop up everywhere except on our child’s actual foot.

This is what parenting really looks like

This isn’t the first time Esther and her hubby Thad have broken the silence on what goes on behind closed doors. And it’s not the first time Esther has made headlines for having her child’s finger poking in an orifice.

Check out big sister Ellia, doing pretty much the exact same thing two years ago (except she goes for the nose rather than the eye).

If you haven’t been poked in the eye with a child’s finger, then you’re not parenting right.

Can you relate to Esther’s imperfect picture? Share your own parenting moment with us through the Facebook comments and we will select our favourite ones for another story. We want your messy moments, your sleep-deprived selfies, your permanent-pen covered walls.

Why?

Because sometimes it’s nice to know that you’re not the only one lying on the living room floor while your child pokes you in the eye. Sometimes it’s nice to know that we’re all pretty much in the same boat … even if the pattern of the lone sock varies slightly.

For more tell-it-like-it-is tales of parenting, check out our article about how to survive a toddler tantrum.