These ‘Moms vs Dads’ Instagram Comics from a New England Mom Will Crack You Up

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

Having humor with life as a mom, wife, and parent definitely takes a bit of vulnerability and gumption, especially when considering the parenting double-standards of today.  After all, laughter is the best medicine even while trying to change the narrative, or at least even it out.

Meet Mary Catherine Starr, who lives on Cape Cod in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

I literally stumbled upon her hilarious comics on Instagram @momlife_comics, and had to reach out to her.

Here we are, in 2022, and still see it in movies and television shows: the double-standard life of a mom.  I mean honestly, these comics can't help but elicit a smile and giggle because they're true.

Basically, Mary Catherine illustrates in a fun, yet poignant way how differently the bar is set for moms versus dads in society.  She says the relatability of it wasn't something she expected to go viral.

"I started posting personal anecdotes on my personal Instagram account  just as the pandemic hit, then turned them into comics to have a little more fun with the therapeutic posts.  The response was amazing, and I loved that the therapeutic outlet for myself was actually the same for others."

Friends and family were sharing Mary Catherine's comics so much that she decided to create an account solely for them, and @momlife_comics was born in July of 2021.

"A lot of men don't get it, but a lot do and understand that it's not men-bashing.  How can it be, considering these stereotypes and jokes have been around and used in art and media for decades often produced or created by men?"

Her account has 85,000 followers at the time I wrote this, and people from 15-20 countries have reached out and thanked her for having fun while highlighting an important topic; the various societal roles and expectations moms versus dads face.  Even the Huffington Post picked up on her humor with relevancy.

This married mom of two says that she often shows the comics to her husband before she posts, and usually gets a big laugh and a "yup, that's true" out of him.

"The pandemic just intensified and highlighted how truly real they still are and pushed the discussion to the forefront. It's about sparking a necessary conversation while connecting with people, and that means everything to me."

Besides following Mary Catherine on Instagram, she also has a website with an online store.