Mom's Amusing Illustrated Quarantine Diary Of Her Everyday Struggles With Four Toddlers

This is probably my worst nightmare.

Damjan

Published in Funny
14 May 2020

Mom's Amusing Illustrated Quarantine Diary Of Her Everyday Struggles With Four Toddlers

Quarantine turned everyday parenting into a full-time comedy show for Belgian writer and illustrator Thais Vanderheyden. With four toddlers at home, school closures, deadlines, and a house that never stayed quiet for long, she started documenting the chaos in drawings that are equal parts funny and painfully familiar.

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Thais, who usually illustrates children’s books, began sketching daily scenes from breakfast-table life during lockdown, from FaceTime mishaps to the nonstop demands of Bob, Morris, Pepa, and Colette. The result is a diary of tiny disasters, exhausted laughter, and the kind of moments parents remember forever.

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Her quarantine sketches only got more relatable from there.

"It all started in March when our country went into lockdown. I totally freaked out at the thought that schools would be closed for a long time. For eight weeks, I had four toddlers (Bob, Morris, and twins Pepa and Colette) while juggling a full agenda of deadlines as a writer and illustrator of children’s books. But I’m still alive, my hair looks wild, I gained a few pounds, and I must admit I had more than a few good laughs with my bunch.

From day one of this quarantine, I made a daily drawing at the breakfast table. A lot of it really happened (like the FaceTime incident with the teacher!), and some of it was just thoughts that crossed my mind. I posted them on my Instagram and received tons of messages from working moms and dads who recognized themselves in the drawings. So I kept going. I hope you enjoy it too!”