Every now and then, you’re faced with the task of cleaning the innards of an attic or untouched parts of the basements. Reluctantly, you do, but sometimes you come across age-old gems that send you down Memory Lane, Sentimental Street, whatever you want to call it! At least that’s what happened to New York dad and blogger at Dad and Buried, Mike Julianelle, when he compared a 10-year-old photo of himself to a more recent one.
Mike Julianelle and the Birth of Got Toddlered
When founder of Dad and Buried, Mike Julianelle, found an old picture of himself and compared it to how he looked today, a great idea dawned on him… Everyone ages, but the biggest lifestyle change was becoming a father of two kids – a 2 and 7-year-old. It was that realization which sparked the beginning of “Got Toddlered.”[1]
On October 12, 2017, he posted a before-and-after photo of himself from 2006 and 2016 on his Instagram page, @gottoddlered:
“Wanna see something REALLY scary? Here’s me, before and after I had kids! Want to play along? This October, I’m opening up @gottoddlered to your submissions of your scariest “Before and After Kids” pics! If you’re not afraid, send your photos – and your IG name if you want me to share it – to gottoddlered@gmail.com and let the nightmares begin!”
The photo was a complete success! So much so that a fan suggested he start taking submissions.
“I’ve gotten a lot more of these than I did of the typical ‘my toddler destroyed something’ memes I was previously receiving! Probably because taking a photo of something your kids destroyed is less of a priority than cleaning it up,” explained Julianelle. “And it’s much easier to clean a mess than it is to fix your own face!”[2]
But be sure, this dad has no ill-intent.
“Obviously, it’s meant to be lighthearted, and no one is seriously blaming their children for the state of their faces or lives,” Julianelle joked. “Except for me when I seriously blame my kids for the state of my face and my life, which is basically all I do on my blog and Facebook page and Twitter.”[2]
It seems that parents around the world know this, too, and you can see this in the raw and honest pictures parents have submitted.
“My blog and everything else have always been about the fact that it’s okay to be honest about the pitfalls of parenthood,” said Julianelle. “There’s no shame in admitting that for all the peaks, there are plenty of pits. Kids are the worst best thing that’s ever happened to us and if we don’t laugh about the havoc they wreak we’d have to cry instead and I’m not a crier.”[2]
