Parenthood
Here Are 20 Photos Of Parents Before And After Toddlers
If you're a parent, you'll definitely relate to this.
Ryan Aliapoulios
05.09.18

As many older parents have said, having children will truly change a person. The decision to bring a new life into the world isn’t one to take lightly as it comes with plenty of sacrifice. Growing up, we first have to master how to take care of ourselves and how to behave in the world at large. Still, we’re allowed a large measure of selfishness by only taking care of ourselves—that all changes when our children start to become the most important people in our lives!

Still, for all the serious and heavy ways in which people change over time as they become parents, there’s also some smaller tweaks and adjustments that can happen more gradually. Particularly as our kids get to be toddlers, their personalities begin to take shape… and they start forcing their personalities onto us. As it turns out, raising children isn’t all seriousness. It can also be pretty hilarious.

With that in mind, here are 20 priceless examples of parents who noticed some changes before and after raising toddlers.

1. Sometimes your sense of fashion gets adjusted.

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To all the dads out there: prepare to start experimenting with your fashion sense. Your daughters have their own taste in clothing and they are definitely going to make you participate in it as well. For what it’s worth, he really seems to be rocking it in this picture!

2. You’ll have to get really good at multi-tasking.

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Remember what we said before but having no more time to be selfish? You’ll be surprised just how far that extends… particularly when it means you no longer get to spend time on how you look at all. Multi-tasking is key to efficient parenting—and drinking coffee, pumping milk and flipping off your spouse at the same time is a prime example of that.

3. You may start to take on baby behaviors of your own.

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Listen, we’re sure there was a time when you and your partner were actually fun. You probably had engaging social lives, cool friends and interesting places to hang out. But you have kids now and whenever they’re not destroying everything in sight, they probably just want to sleep. After a long day of dealing with the former, you’ll probably want to take a nap as well.

4. Personal boundaries are a thing of the past.

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There’s something kind of Zen about raising kids. In the Buddhist tradition, practitioners are taught that the self is an illusion and that the boundaries we draw between ourselves and others actually don’t exist. Having a child around squishing your face with their butt can really help you tap into that perspective!

5. Get ready for some poetic role reversals.

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Remember those fun adventures you used to have when you were young? As this example shows, freedom lets you ride camels and see the pyramids of Egypt! On the other hand, having kids lets you actually become the camel.

6. Your perspective on ice cream is going to change completely.

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What’s not to love about ice cream, right? It’s a creamy, cold and delicious treat that can help us relax at the end of a long day. It’s also incredibly sticky when you don’t have fine-motor skills yet. To all the dads out there giving their ice-cream-cone-carrying kids piggyback rides: we salute you.

7. Then again, sometimes you and your kids will have a lot in common.

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Just because having a kid means making sacrifices, we don’t have to sacrifice ourselves entirely. In fact, it helps us be better parents when we have our own interests and perspectives to share with our little ones. Just take it from these parents, who have their own little punk rocker in training on their hands.

8. Remember what we said about how your fashion sense is going to change?

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Don’t get us wrong, exercising, taking care of yourself and having your own unique look are all cool things to strive for. But they might not be the most important thing in the world at the end of the day. After kids, you may realize that being comfortable is actually pretty important too. Way more important, in fact.

9. Life is really all about your attitude.

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We know just how hard it can be to pour everything into your children, believe us. Like all things in life, the difficulties will either break us or make us stronger. To be honest, those two options aren’t always mutually exclusive. Hang in there, guys.

10. You’re going to have some new ladies in your life.

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If you’re a young and single guy, a lot of your energy probably goes towards keeping yourself surrounding with pretty girls whenever possible. Along with that process comes a rollercoaster of emotions, including both excitement and possibility as well as terror. When you have daughters of your own… actually pretty much all of that will still be true.

11. All your solo selfies now become group selfies.

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Taking plenty of workout selfies is a fun way to stay current and motivated in today’s social landscape. If you ate a good meal or you had a good workout, you want to share it with others, obviously. The only difference now is that you’ll have some other people in the frame—the more the merrier, right?

12. It doesn’t get much more poetic than this one.

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Some of the lessons you learn from raising children are going to be subtle changes that take time to really sink in. Other times, there’s going to be so obvious that it’s like getting smacked in the face. With that in mind, we’re not going to add much commentary on this picture… it pretty much speaks for itself.

13. You might have to learn some basic self-defense skills.

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Babies are unpredictable, plain and simple. They’re curious, they have a lot of energy and they’re definitely going to probe your weaknesses. To make it out of the early years alive, you have to start thinking like a fighter a little bit. Protect your chin! Guard the eyes! Don’t let your guard down!

14. Not everything is going to be glamorous.

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Look, you’re probably a cool person. When you’re young, a lot of energy goes into communicating that and making sure other people know it as well. As you become a parent, you may still be cool inside but you’re probably not going to look very cool. Baby puke is the great equalizer.

15. Having a sense of humor will help you survive.

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With all the changes you’ll be going through, it’s important to keep a balanced perspective. When things get hard, try to take a step out of the situation and appreciate it for what it really is. One good opportunity for that is during family photos—nobody really likes taking them, after all.

16. Your hair is going to become a playground.

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We can’t really stress this enough, people. When your children aren’t very tall, you sometimes have to crouch down to get on their level and really engage with them. But never forget how curious children are! With you walking around all the time, they don’t get much one-on-one time with the top of your head, so of course they’re going to take advantage when they can.

17. That rule goes for your face, too.

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The same principle is at play here. To your newborn baby, your face is probably the most interesting thing in the world! After all, you’re their parent and they get to know and communicate with you right through your eyes and your expressions. And what do we do when we’re getting to know and understand a new thing? We poke it and put stickers on it, obviously.

18. Sometimes you’ll need your outfit to do the talking for you.

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Although we usually think of sophisticated fashion choices as saying a lot about our personalities and feelings, sometimes very simple things can do the same job. Sometimes a T-shirt with a straightforward sentence on it is called for. You know, when your general body language and facial expression aren’t quite doing the trick.

19. Through it all though, you’re probably still going to have a lot of fun.

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No matter how much fun you think you might have, you will never have as much fun as your children. Kids are so much better at having fun than adults are, and its one of the secret benefits of having some of your own. Even when you’re controlling the activity and even teaching your kids something, they’ll be the one controlling the amount of fun you’re having.

20. And you’re not the only one who will have to change, either.

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They say it takes a village to properly raise children, meaning that a broader community and perspective is needed to help them grow. More immediately, having a dog around can help teach your kids a lot and give them a best friend in tough times. And it’s a good thing that dogs can be even more patient with little kids than adults can sometimes. Sorry, Fido.

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