Parenting looks like a breeze if you believe the Instagram hype. However, as many of you know, the truth about parenthood is completely different. It can be brutal at times, exhausting, confusing, and challenging in the best of times. But, of course, it’s all worth it in the end. What if Instagram and other social media posts showed the actual reality of parenting? Well, that’s what Simon Hooper decided to create for the masses. A brutally honest, no-holds-barred look at parenting 4 little girls is what his Instagram is all about.
Simon Hooper and his wife, Clemmie, are raising 4 adorable girls, named Anya Rose, Marnie, Ottilie, and Delilah. As the only man in a house full of women, Simon experiences some interesting situations, to say the least. After sharing some of those experiences in his book titled “Forever Outnumbered,” Simon decided to start an Instagram page.
His page, @Father_Of_Daughters, currently has nearly 900k followers. So, clearly, he is providing some quality content. In truth, Simon doesn’t sugarcoat his posts. He shows what it’s really like to raise 4 daughters, be married to a professional writer and midwife, and survive as the only male in the household. Let’s take a look at some of his more interesting posts below.
Instagram Experiences Sugar-Free Parenting Posts
So, what’s so great about these posts? Well, Simon captions his posts with that brutal honesty his fans have grown to love. Because it’s all about relatable situations, and frustrations any parent would understand. So, he shares photos and hopes for the best.
“Let’s play a game of guess who. Guess who ate their body weight in sweets that they found wedged down the side of the seat? Who relieved themselves in an empty rocky road container without my knowledge? And who decided to leave at 7pm & arrive late at my parent’s house which is 4 hours away, instead of setting off at a reasonable time tomorrow?”
“Who slept talked about dinosaurs? And who broke their head phone cable so I had to be audibly assaulted with the same episode of ‘the octonauts’ for 2 hours? Who thought having 4 kids was a good idea?”
“Now you may just see me as ‘that dad who makes a joke out of everything’ but what you probably haven’t realised is that I use Instagram as a sort of free open source therapy. I get to openly talk about my challenges, my hopes & my fears, laugh about them & then send them off into the void of cyber space, where I get feedback from others who’ve dealt with those same challenges whilst making others realise that we all struggle and it’s ok to laugh about it.“
Clemmie Hooper Is Often Mentioned Too
Simon also shares his thoughts and appreciation for his wife Clemmie. She has her own Instagram page as well, and Clemmie writes mothering advice for new moms, and moms-to-be.
“For the last week, I basically haven’t seen Anya & Marnie, apart from the occasional flash of tanned skin streaking past with a crew of other giggling sugar high tweens or when they needed cash. I was getting frustrated that they didn’t want to spend time with us but then @mother_of_daughters quietly asked “remember what you were like on holiday when you were their age?” Then it all came flooding back“
“While waiting for the tube, I looked up to find a 12ft post of @mother_of_daughters staring back at me – my brain basically shut down and I descended into fanboy mode. “That’s my wife!” Of course, no one else cared, but I do. Being British, we don’t crow about our achievements but I feel the need to share my pride of Clemmie and her hard work, so I will.“
“You know those moments in life when you turn around & see your partner not as the mother of your children, or the person who shouts at you for not doing the jobs you promised you do, but forgot about but instead as the person you’re lucky enough to have love you despite all your faults? As we silently slipped out of the house to gorge on a slice of child free time & the baby sitter talked at length with the girls about YouTubers I’ve never heard of – I captured one of those moments.“
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But, it’s Mostly About the Kids
Getting kids to eat healthily, or keep their voices down when you’re working, or allowing you to get more than 2 hours of sleep a night- well, it’s all that Simon goes through. It’s what all parents go through. So, he tries to keep that sense of reality prevalent in his posts.
“Has anyone else found getting their kids to eat anything that doesn’t come in a brightly coloured wrapper this summer more challenging than tasking a one winged chicken to solve a 24 sided Rubik’s cube in the dark?“
“I’m not sure if this is down to the clock changes or @mother_of_daughters leaving for work at 4.30am, but this morning illustrated perfectly the difference between a 3-year-old waking up & me, someone 12 times their age (god, that’s painful to say).“
“Team work makes the dream work. This is especially true if the dream in question is to commit domestic-based petty snack theft. And what better partner is there to have than your very own genetic clone – this enables the thieves to achieve things to couldn’t do on their own, have water-tight alibis, and cause genuine confusion when in a police line up.”
There are Always Ups with the Downs
One aspect of Simon that his followers seem to love is his raw honesty. We sometimes feel like we might be bad parents, just because we reach our limits. But, patience can be hard to find and that’s okay. Just as long as we remember why they need us in the first place. Because, you know, we’re their parent and we love them.
“When she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad….her tantrums had the power to boiled the worlds oceans in seconds, force planes to plummet from the skies like gravity propelled lead bullets and level cities to dust as the seismic ripples stretched out from its epic centre. If we were all perfect parents, we’d stop to sympathise and understand, but in reality, this is the point I give up, break out the biscuits and whack on the toddler crack (paw patrol) because frankly, sometimes I just don’t have the patience to find out what nonsensical thing has set this small human bomb off.“
Sick Kids
“Armed with our universal ‘sick kid’ kit of a large kitchen bowl, enough calpol to be classified as an independent pharmaceutical company & several damp clothes, for the last 2 nights Clemmie & I have been a nocturnal tag team to adjudicate a competition between the twins to see who can produce the most “Christmas spirit”, otherwise known as vomit. It’s Ho ho ho-irrble.“
“Post vasectomy, the doctor gave me this advice – ‘take it easy for a couple of days & try to just lie on the sofa”, he then smiled and continued “but I know you’ve got 4 daughters, so that’s unlikely. Just be careful”. This was the precise moment that I recieved an early fathers day gift – my first post op nut shot from Delilah (thanks Anya for capturing the moment). Luckily my tears just rolled off the wipe clean fabric on my new sofa.”
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Instagram Needs More Love Like This
Simon and his family are like any other family in the world. Because, they experience bad times along with some of the best ones. Through it all, they grow closer and remember that love conquers any temporary tragedy that might occur. That genuine and authentic kind of love is what the world needs to see more of, don’t you think?
Love, Love, Lov
“To my girls, 4 years. 48 months. 2.1m minutes. However you want to say it, you’ve crammed more new experiences into your brief time on this planet than I have in the last 20 years; & yet you’ve barely scratched the surface in your pursuit of happiness. A journey in which your personalised collection of moments & memories will coalesce and solidify to form the person you’re destined to become. And right now is your sweet spot as your world is free from the complexity we adults create.“
“I thought it was a phase. I thought I would have grown out of it by now, but no, here I am 3 years after this was taken and it seems that biting, gnawing and nibbling the extremities of my offspring is still very much in Vogue.“
Good Advice
Simon sometimes shares worldly sage advice. Because parenting has that effect. So, one minute you can’t remember your own name, and the next you are explaining the intricacies of universal love and consciousness. It happens to the best of us.
“We may not last as long as ammonites physically, but the one thing that will out last our physical presence is the memories we create in the minds of the ones we love. So do your best to make those memories happy ones & make them smile at the thought of you. Be infinite, be star dust. Remember to be the reason their world keeps turning. Be content in who you are & love the ones who love you.“
“Who would have thought that holding a starfish would be the thing to highlight the importance of remembering that twins are individuals. Despite looking that they’ve been cut from the pages of a real life ‘spot the difference’ book, they are most definitely not the same – they are unique in their own glorious ways. One is fearless, comes with a decibel warning & could easily charm you into buying a car with no engine for above the asking price & still make you think you’d got a good deal. The other is more reserved & thoughtful, which often leaves me wondering: is it hard to live in the shadow of a louder version of yourself?“
Instagram Loves this Guy
Simon’s followers appreciate the advice he gives, Also, they enjoy giving their feedback when Simon needs some parenting advice for himself and Clemmie. Because let’s face it, no one has all the answers. We’re not supposed to know everything, so, go ask if you need to. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to others, especially as a parent.
All photos credited to Simon Hooper’s Instagram @father_of_daughters
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