Buggies, babies and bars of chocolate

For anyone who was offended by the internet’s latest hilarious offering, I urge you lighten up and acknowledge that there’s more than an element of truth in it.

I’m talking of course about one father’s tongue-in-cheek description of his children’s buggy, which he posted on Ebay in a bid to rid himself of the snot-green monstrosity.

And really, who could blame him? Now that Joel Andresier’s kids are steady on their pins, keeping that eyesore would be foolhardy and, if we’re honest, migraine-inducing.

While reading the ad I laughed numerous times and nodded my head in agreement more than once because while I knew I was reading the words of man comfortable enough with his wife and family to make such a public joke, I also recognised aspects of his prose which I had heard time and again from friends and family who gave up a care-free existence to settle down and have children. I include myself in this.

It’s not wrong to long for a time when trips to the toilet were solo ventures, weekends were spent lazing in a bed devoid of Lego bits or Barbie heads and time was yours and yours only. In the same way, it’s OK to miss a certain hairstyle, TV series or shade of foundation they inexplicably discontinued, it’s also OK to miss a time before children.

When I became pregnant, I felt only joy. While I was certain I was going to burst with happiness, my partner was sure he was going to combust with excitement. And then she came along, opened an entirely new chapter in our lives, taught me things I never knew about myself, showed me things I never knew about my partner and exposed me to a world of wonder, but still, every now and then, I think if I could spend just one day in my old life, I would.

Yes, the dad-of-three who posted the hilarious, albeit controversial ad, went to extremes when lamenting his life as a father, but I find it difficult to believe that any parent out there who read his post wasn't able to identify with it even slightly.

If you are one of the few parents who saw the ad and didn’t feel the slightest bit of comradery with that disgruntled old dad, then more power to you, but don’t judge me for missing a stage in my life when giving someone a time-out meant I was parting with a bar of chocolate.