"Kids Are the Worst": How an LDS Mom's Hilarious Instagram Account Caught the Attention of Tony Hawk & Sofia Vergara

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Anna MacFarlane doesn't really think kids are the worst.

But she does think that parents can laugh at the crazy, messy things their kids do to ease the frustration of cleaning wayward marker drawings off of the walls.

That's part of the reason she started her @kidsaretheworst Instagram account.

MacFarlane, a Church member living in Salt Lake City, would often see beautiful pictures of others people's children on Instagram. But MacFarlane felt like pictures of her children were good if their socks matched and there were no stains on their shirts.

As a result, MacFarlane began the kidsaretheworst Instagram account in April 2014. 

"We thought it would be really funny to show a little bit of reality to make people feel better if their kid is not ready for a magazine every day," she says.

That sense of parental-camaraderie turned Kidsaretheworst into a popular Instagram account with 274,000 followers. 

At first, a lot of people shared it for a laugh, MacFarlane says. Then Buzzfeed wrote a story about her account and celebrities like professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and actress Sofia Vergara began commenting on and following the account.

But besides sharing humorous pictures of big messes, the account also helps parents to realize the important work they do while raising a family.

"I've had some people message they wouldn't want children," MacFarlane says. "And I'll be able to say, 'No, I love my family. My family is forever'... And I use the Marjorie Hinckley quote a lot about, 'It's better to laugh than to cry because crying gives me a headache.' And I use her name a lot so people will ask about her and I'll be able to give links to her books and share a little bit of the importance of family."

And social media is also what MacFarlane calls "a beautiful place" for parents to connect in this way and share their own reality, no matter how messy.

"That's our new tribe. That's our new way of meeting people," MacFarlane says. "It's finding people who are also stuck at home with their kid in the middle of winter and reaching out by saying, 'Hey, you're doing a good job.'"

Check out some of the priceless posts from Kidsaretheworst.

Caught red handed. And footed. And legged. And bodied. And... #PaintInTheNecks #IRedAboutThis #BrushItOff 📷: @mdiner1 #kidsaretheworst A photo posted by Anna Macfarlane, @ahhnnab (@kidsaretheworst) on Jul 6, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT
A photo posted by Anna Macfarlane, @ahhnnab (@kidsaretheworst) on Jun 24, 2016 at 7:12am PDT
Unrolling with my homies. #DontEatTheCharmin 📷: @justinwthornton #kidsaretheworst A photo posted by Anna Macfarlane, @ahhnnab (@kidsaretheworst) on May 14, 2016 at 6:08pm PDT

I see the transition of childhood and the intense emotions that surround leaving your mother's womb. I'll pay $7! #DidPicassoGiveThumbsUp #AKidIsAllYouNeedForModernArtInYourHome 📷: @immi_lee #kidsaretheworst A photo posted by Anna Macfarlane, @ahhnnab (@kidsaretheworst) on Jul 7, 2016 at 6:58pm PDT

Lead image from @kidsaretheworst Instagram account
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