From Toddler To Teen: Cartoonist Shares Her Struggles As A Parent

You may have never heard her name before, and you might have never seen any of her artwork, but we assure you that what Adrienne Hedge draws and creates, you will love. She is witty, smart, humorous, and extremely talented. That’s why today, we are going to share 45 of our favorite creations from Adrienne’s (digital) pen. Hedger is an award-winning cartoonist who created a well-known webcomic, “Hedger Humor.”

She shares her experience of being a parent, and surviving in this new phase of her life she found herself in. Yes, there are struggles and turmoil, but Adrienne wants us to remember that parenting is, at the end of the day, extremely beautiful and rewarding. Even though, your reward comes when you least expect it. If you want to see what Hedge’s internet presence is all about, keep on scrollin’!

Chemistry issues

When we think of our school days, we miss it so much. Then again, when we remember how we felt, and how we were itching to grow up and finally graduate, we realize it’s a never-ending cycle of regret, nostalgia, and teenage years.

School gives such a unique opportunity to study — and not worry about student loans. There are people that show up every day, and offer you knowledge! What a golden opportunity. We bet that’s what Adrienne’s mom character was thinking. Or, was she just sleepy? We don’t know.

Dog Business

Dogs are like little pigs most of the time. They love getting down and dirty; playing in the mud, outside, and carrying all that with them back inside — on your newest, beige couch, if possible. It’s a struggle being a parent, be it a human or pet parent.

Pet parenting means disciplining a being that has no critical thinking abilities. It means reasoning with them, and loving them despite not being listened to. Yes, that’s it. Sounds about right. Look at this character’s dog! Such a bad boy!

She Needs Her Lawyer

Kids nowadays know exactly how to grind their parents’ gears. Even worse, they’re experts at evading trouble. They are familiar with what to say and simply get away with it. We are kind of envious of her. We could never say that to our parents!

You’d never hear us saying “we did the BEST we could.” This is as mind-blowing as it gets! If our parents asked us that, and we, in fact, hadn’t done the cleaning, we would absolutely cave in, and run back to scrub that room clean! Little missy has guts!

Summer Fails

Now, we want to show you some summer fails that make us miss summer severely. Trust us, there is so much more than sweat spots, forgetting to shave above the knees, or applying deodorant after showering. Strap in, and enjoy!

These are pretty much self-explanatory. Not only can we refer to them as “fails,” but as deeply embarrassing, too. Imagine if this happened to you in front of your crush or a business client you are trying to impress. Yikes!

Ageism

Children can be cruel, man! Do you know how raw and honest they get when you ask them a question?! It’s absurd! We appreciate it, though. If it weren’t for our younger cousins, we would wear those stupid pants, even though, in retrospect, they are super embarrassing.

Now, ageism is a real thing! Someone discriminating against you based on your age is extremely cruel. Yet, people do it. And, your kids will do it as well. These jokes would be funny, only if we were closer to the kids’ age than to the mom’s age. Now, it’s just depressing…

40 Something

After a while, once you turn a certain age, it all becomes one big blur. We can’t imagine turning 40, and still keeping track of each candle on the cake. People on TikTok are saying, “what’s the point of counting? Just enjoy your time” and we love that philosophy.

This is another situation where a child says such a harsh truth that you are left speechless. It feels like we are watching a sitcom. Nonetheless, Adrienne will continue to make more relatable comics, just keep scrolling for more of her on-point humor.

Marriage in a Nutshell

Marriage is not only a matter of love. Of course, love is involved, but it’s not the sole aspect. It is about respect, tolerance, partnership, friendship, and compromise. It’s about motivating each other, helping one another, and being each other’s life companions. Marriage and love are beautiful.

Special ingredient: love. Instead of mustard, which the comic husband was hoping for, we would say: mayo, or ranch! We love those condiments! Although they are joking around, make sure to appreciate your partner, even on the days when there’s nothing special going on.

Bookworms

We love books! In fact, we would go so far as to say we are bookworms. In the age where TikTok is the new thing everyone is talking about, you should seriously consider a media to consume that will keep your focus longer than a few seconds, or minutes.

Reading books stops time, it enriches your vocabulary, and develops your brain activity! And there are countless wonderful things you can do while reading a book: reading a book with a coffee, reading a book in a café, cozying up in a blanket while reading, etc.

Summer Mornings

This is an unwritten rule of children. And adults, now that we think about it. Getting up on school days was an impossible mission. The weekends were a tad better. And getting up in the summer, on a summer break, was a piece of cake!

This poor mother… What is there to say, and make all mothers and fathers around the world feel better? It will pass, and when it does, you will miss it! (At least, according to the empty-nesters…) Time flies, especially once kids enter your lives.

Temper Tantrum

Children are known for throwing temper tantrums. We are not saying every child does it, but a lot of them do. It’s just because children don’t know how to regulate and express their strong emotions of anger, disappointment, anxiety, etc.

Keep in mind that children know exactly what they are doing when they are throwing a temper tantrum. That’s why this girl is slowly placing herself on the floor where she won’t get hurt, and then continuing to throw a fit. It’s hilarious now, but it’s not as amusing when it happens.

Cool Ideas!

If you have a sibling, you know how cool it is to annoy them. The truth is, love for your siblings is like no other. You love them, and you love to annoy them. And they feel the same way about you. Here are some genius ideas on how to annoy your brother or sister.

Our personal favorite is the “lick your finger then stick it in their ear.” That one just seems like pure torture, and chaos, and we are living for it! “When the driver turns the car, lean way into your sibling” is something we also did in our day. Cool ideas, Adrienne, thank you!

Mom’s Superpower

Well, we are pretty sure moms have a sixth sense when it comes to you cleaning, or not cleaning, your room. Like Adrienne displayed in her digital comic, the mom here is not giving her child the benefit of the doubt this time!

Little miss, don’t underestimate your mom’s ability to see through the door and hear the “mess speaking” to her. It’s a real thing! We experienced it, too. We will have to wait, become a parent, and let you know if our powers develop, too.

Gen Z’s Way of Entertainment

The ways Gen Z-ers entertain themselves is mind-boggling to us. We love the Gen Z-ers in our lives, and every now and then, we feel like them, too. But, to be frank, we can’t always understand them, their humor, and their pastime.

Do you remember those random BuzzFeed quizzes, like “what Disney princess are you?” or, “what pizza are you?”? It is fun — we assume. But, things like what grape or toe you are is just too much. Good luck, parents. Stay strong…

Teaching Responsibility and Gratitude

We are certain that parents, especially dads, finish some sort of the Ultimate Parent Course, once they learn their wives are pregnant. Then, they take what they learned, and repeat it to their children. It usually includes recounting stories from “back in the day.”

The older girl warned her little sister to get away just in time. The dad was starting his heartbreaking story of walking miles, and miles, through 10 feet of snow with plastic bags over his shoes. Funny enough, our fathers had a similar story, too. Huh, interesting.

Kid’s Sense of Style

When you think of it, kids are akin to the human-like Minions in the Despicable Me franchise. They are silly, clumsy (most of the time), but are somehow super intelligent and raw in the way they approach life. Yep, sounds about the same.

This is some toddler summer fashion. The bathing suit looks super familiar; so much so that we believe we did that as well. To be honest, the flip-flop struggle is an issue we carry to this day. It’s not our fault they are so confusing and uncomfortable! The big sunglasses are haute couture, though! Gucci, hello?!

Annoying Dot Com

Is there anything worse than being a driver and having an irritating passenger? Being the passenger and having an annoying driver, of course! Imagine someone constantly asking you to do something or look something up while they are driving. After all, they can’t do it themselves…

The worst thing is actually you have to obey. They are driving — they are the ones doing you a favor, essentially. So, what else can you do? You look it up, but all the while cussing them out and regretting the day you agreed to be the passenger.

What Being a Dad is All About

Adrienne tends to show multiple perspectives in her comics. She loves to show the male side, the kids’ side, and the woman’s side. That way, we, as consumers, can get a full picture of her whole world, and how she sees it.

She showed us in these four images what being a dad is all about! Giving you the best view, telling dad jokes, tossing you in the water, and falling asleep while watching TV. That’s what fatherhood is all about — being a constant source of joy for your children!

Teach Them While They’re Young

The existence of taxes is what drives us mad sometimes. They are everything we hate about this world. Paying a fee just because you are living in a country is mind-boggling to us. Who do we owe money to? The aliens? What is an economy, even?!

On the other hand, mom and dad tax is the best thing we’ve seen in a while! If there is anyone you owe your life and money to, it’s your parents! So, mom tax and dad tax are something we will consider doing in the future if we have kids.

Gender Differences

The existence of differences between men and women is undeniable. Sure, there are some areas in which we meet in the middle and are completely indistinguishable from one another. Yet, you can’t deny there are some areas that blatantly show gender opposites so well.

This comic is quite stereotypical. Yet, isn’t she right?! How many men do you know that take hours to get ready and choose an outfit? We know 0. Although, we wouldn’t say we are too picky about our clothes either. Do you agree with her, or not?

Avoiding Housework

When you live with a partner or a roommate, it’s very important to set rules that both of you will follow. You can even divide the workload. That would make all your lives so much easier. Yet, sometimes, the other side gets a bit lazy…

How often have you cleaned up after someone?! If your answer is never, you are a lucky one! This man is avoiding putting away CLEAN dishes! So, he doesn’t wash them, and not only that, but he doesn’t put them away either? His wife needs to have a serious conversation with him! That’s not nice.

Playing Dumb

We all played dumb at least once in our lives. Pretending like you don’t know what’s going on and what’s expected from you can be a good tactic to get out of trouble. However, playing that game with your parents is not the best idea. Don’t ask us how we know…

This is exactly one of those situations where we tried — and failed miserably. When we suggested that you don’t play this game with a parent, we specifically meant moms. Moms are a different breed, we tell you! They smell your intentions right away. It’s not like they gave you life or something…

Act Naturally!

When we remember these school picture days, we get PTSD. We swear! We never looked good in them — not because we’re ugly, but because the photographers had some confusing and strange poses they wanted us to sit in, and they gave us bizarre instructions.

We’re glad we’re not the only ones who experienced this. It’s global, people! It’s global! That makes us excited, but also kind of saddened. Why do these photographers do this? Let kids be kids; let them have relatable and truthful memories of that day! Don’t make them pose like drunk camels…

Uncoordinated People Problems

Sometimes, you feel out of place in certain situations. You might feel like a weird one in your friend group, or like you don’t belong. These are all very standard sentiments. We’ve been through that. It’s important not to let those moments define you!

This is one of those situations where you might think to yourself: “what is wrong with me?! why is everyone able to do this properly, and I’m not?!” Don’t berate yourself. It’s okay for things to go wrong. You’re tired and a bit uncoordinated, but you’ll practice. Heads up, soldier!

The Mystery of Missing Cups and Bowls

We all know those people that just collect used bowls and cups and mugs. When we say collect, we mean they keep them on their desk until they start stinking up the whole place. They usually clean on the weekend, but by then, there are tens and dozens of cutlery missing from the cupboards.

We can safely say we are not those people, but are you?! You’ve been awfully quiet since we brought this up! The comic mom’s daughter is fully this kind of girl. We can’t say we judge her, but we can’t say we get it either. It’s much easier to clean regularly than all at once.

While Doing Math Homework, One Must Simply Dance

Tell us a better way of avoiding doing your homework than this. We’ll wait. This little girl has phenomenal ideas; we’ve gathered so much while scrolling through Adrienne’s Instagram. She made quite a cheeky, witty little girl boss in her comics.

She is sassy, crazy, and dynamic! We love her so much. However, we aren’t really sure her mom is as amused as us. She looks exhausted. As if she’s so done and over whatever life’s offering at the moment. Stay strong!

Mistakes are a Part of Life

Making mistakes is completely fine! You shouldn’t feel too bad if you fail; these errors lead us to future solutions and successes! However, there are times when fails can be downright funny, and here, we want to show you some that Adrienne drew from her own mistakes.

We don’t know which one is worse. Honestly, we would say that the fourth one is our actual nightmare. We love coffee, and we are not ashamed to admit that we are coffee addicts. But covering your hands with a self-tanner must be the next best thing from this list! Hilarious!

M&M Monster

M&Ms are great! We like them. Especially with peanut butter! It’s a chef’s kiss. However, there are people that don’t just like them, but are obsessed with them! They swear by them. We don’t get that amount of hype, to be frank.

These girls will surely have some form of PTSD from their mother and her monster-like behavior! Although we know she doesn’t mean any harm, she still seems weirdly obsessed. She carries that Grinch face too well for us to feel comfortable…

Tips on How to Dive Like a Kid

Kids are the best! Just observing their antics, their logic, and their behavior can be so entertaining! They have no idea what is going on, yet still, they manage to have a good freakin’ time! What champions. Now, here are a few tips on how to dive as a true kid would:

We hate to admit it, but this is how we still dive to this day! It’s a bit embarrassing, but more than that, it is plain sad. We are incompetent when it comes to these things. So if you see us by the pool, don’t laugh. Just wave and learn, wave and learn…

Haute Couture

Although you might not agree with us, kids have the best sense of authentic style ever! Yes, it’s not up to everyone’s tastes, but it’s not supposed to be! They are their own bosses, and they can choose for themselves.

Sometimes, their combos are real haute couture. The one you see on the runway. Bella Hadid herself would be jealous if she encountered one of their shows! Our favorites are “layer” and “accessorize”! Do you have any that you prefer?

The Printer Show

Printers are super dramatic for no reason whatsoever. One time, we had a situation very similar to Adrienne’s character in these comics. The printer was warning us for days about its low ink levels, only to find out, it still had a half-full cartridge.

They act like teenagers! They are either too loud, dramatic, and panicky or, they play dead, pretend they don’t exist and refuse to listen to you no matter how many times you give them an order. Just like real, human, rebellious teens.

Summer Rulez!

Although we are much happier when it’s fall or spring, we can’t deny summer has its charm in a way. It usually means a carefree attitude, nice evenings, and summer vacations. Here are some summer rules that show why summer rules! Get it? It’s a pun…Never mind.

Sunbathing is an activity. Can you believe it?! So, when someone asks you: “what’re you doing?,” and you happen to be lying on the chair outside, you don’t have to say “oh, nothing…” you can say “well I am sunbathing!” Isn’t that beautiful?! Don’t even get us started on not having to wear shoes or socks! Our fave!

If It’s Small, It Doesn’t Count

There is this old saying that says: if the food is small, calories don’t count! We like to pretend that it’s true. Though we know it’s not how calories work, we still can’t help but hope it is. That’s exactly how this girl in the comic is thinking.

If the cookies are tiny, you can eat thousands of them and it’ll be fine! At least that’s what we want to believe. Despite our hopes and dreams, the truth is far from that. Still, that won’t get in the way of snack time. Bring it on, blondie!

The Ones That Get It, Get It

If you’re anything like us, and Adrienne’s characters, you have your favorite bowl/mug/spoon/etc. You are just bound to it, and no matter how many new ones you get, you still end up using your worn-out favorite on a daily basis.

There are these kinds of people, that we just explained. And then, there is the other kind. They don’t understand the passion and happiness of having coffee from that mug or eating cereal from that bowl. Their life is so plain and boring.

Having a Pet Means…

…letting them drink water from wine glasses. Oh, what?! Sorry, did we get that right? Well, yes, we definitely did. Adrienne shared an experience of having a dog. It is all we expect from life with a pet, and so much more!

We can’t give you a clear answer as to why this pupper drinks water from a wine glass, but dang right he does. So posh, so extra. We love it. We also have a lot to share about our pets, but you know what they say: snitches get stitches…

Mom Got Some Flashbacks

Parents must get that feeling of instant gratification once their child experiences it for themselves, and realizes what a nuisance they were at a certain age. They say toddlers are the worst. So, according to (TikTok) science, up until the pre-school years, children are to be avoided at all times! Just kidding…

Our favorite question they ask is, “Why?” When we say “favorite,” we mean the exact opposite of that. Children love to ask this question, especially at the age of four, or five, as soon as they develop consciousness and knowledge of the world around them. That’s amazing, but it means a daily headache for the parents.

It’s The Second Child

More often than not, a second child is a billion times more chaotic than the first. Parents usually try really hard with the first one and are much stricter and more careful. Not to say they neglect the second one, but they don’t put as much pressure on them as the one before.

That explains this situation so well. The younger girl forgot to wear or bring any shoes. Okay, it’s fine if she didn’t bring any, but she went on this trip barefoot, for hours?! And she didn’t say a thing until it was too late to turn around. That’s some next-level foolery.

When Nature Calls, You Answer

The title is meant for everybody. It is known that babies, toddlers, and children have trouble holding things in… but, the same goes for grown-ups, too! Nonetheless, Adrienne took this and went full blast with it in her Hedger Humor, and we love it.

The difference is, adults are at least aware (for the most part), whereas toddlers aren’t. We cried our eyes out from laughter at this image. We can see this situation unfold in front of our eyes, and it’s so hilarious, yet so realistic. It’s genius.

Dishwasher Quarrel

Arguing with inanimate objects might be our biggest hobby. It’s not as if we like it, but it’s something we often do around the house. That’s why we loved this comic we are about to show you. If there is something the artist does right, it’s depicting those little daily habits that we all have.

Look at her, arguing with a dishwasher! This scene should be in history books! It’s a war like no other. We all know that the beeping is not going to stop any time soon. Get up, girlie, those dishes won’t unload themselves, and you know it.

Laced With Good Intentions

The worst feeling is when you have pure intentions, and when you try to do something nice for someone, something goes wrong and your plan goes into shambles. When it falls apart, you can’t help but feel as if nothing makes sense in life. You lose all hope…

That’s how this woman must be feeling. She is trying her best to give her dog a proper meal, and this is how life circumstances repay her?! It’s unfair! Yet, she must pay close attention when cooking something… God forbid she starts a fire…

Ungrateful

Sometimes, household members can be ungrateful. They never see the work you are doing to keep the house clean, and home fresh, and cozy. It’s a struggle to stay motivated and willing to continue in the same fashion. But, you have to…

There is no better feeling than having a clean kitchen! Sometimes, you just have to do it for yourself, and your own mental stability, and health. Then, when the others make a mess, take it out on them and make them clean as much as you did! There, we solved it!

Having a Teen Daughter

Teenagers are scary, man… They have so many emotions, and they are like ticking bombs. Tall enough to be adults, but irresponsible enough to be children. We fear them, honestly. We can’t thank our families enough for putting up with us through this age stage.

What we find super funny about this comic, other than it being really relatable and true to character, is that the mom said the same thing to her daughter, as her husband said to her: you’re strange. Well, ma’am, it seems to run in the family!

When Life Gets Fast

At the beginning of a new school year, or when the clock ticks midnight on the 31st of December, everyone gets obsessed with the idea of starting fresh and becoming a better person, whatever that might mean for each individual.

Then, as the days, weeks, and months pass, you realize you can’t escape from your true character. Sure, you can change some things about yourself, but some things will always stay the same. Or, maybe you just get tired. When you do, learn to rest rather than quit!

Mom’s Linguistic Genius

Some children are just gifted with different things. Just because you were good at English and art, doesn’t mean your child will be, too. Take time to listen to your child’s interests. However, this girl is not only not gifted. She is something else…

If you believe in the right and left sides of the brain, you might defend her by saying: well, maybe her left side of the brain is more prominent. She could be a logical thinker, good at math, science, and numbers. Maybe, or perhaps she is just not too good at playing Scrabble.

Is That Even a Language?

We are sure that parents of teenagers nowadays have trouble understanding them and their vocabulary. Technology developed so much in the past few decades that most parents can’t follow. That’s why, sometimes, it feels like they are speaking two different languages.

We imagine it like Simlish. Are you familiar with it? Simlish is a language developed for the game The Sims. This is a life simulation game where characters speak Simlish. These parents probably feel like listening to them speaking in this strange language, when topics like filter, emoji, and TikTok roll around.

Mixed Signals

The circle goes back around to the toddler topic. They are difficult, even we know that. If there is something scarier than a teenager, it would be a two-year-old. Want to know why? All you need to do is take a look at this last picture:

Adrienne put a nail in the coffin with this one. We are certain that some of her toddler-related comics serve as a good form of contraception. Some people might seriously consider having, or not having kids after they see all this. It’s hilarious and concerning at the same time. Well done, Adrienne! Your comics slap!