With nearly 2000 followers on Instagram, Future Foody is a trend many Auckland parents are latching on to.
It's not often a stay-at-home parent on Instagram is brutally honest about the good, the bad and the totally ugly side of their gig.
Usually, Insta-parents relish in sharing filtered photos of their children, wholesome treats whipped up in their stunning kitchens, handmade gifts and messages of tender love directed at their babies who, for obvious reasons, are not able to read them.
But Mike Julianelle, from Brooklyn, isn't interested in broadcasting his parental prowess to the world because he believes he's just "not cut out for this" whole dad thing, news.com.au reports.
STAY-AT-HOME DAD
Mike, 42, hates being a dad and has built a career by telling people all about it.
"Don't worry, I don't hate my kids. I just hate parenting," the father-of-two said.
My toddler ran into my bedroom to tell me that he’d found the candy he’d lost a few minutes earlier, excitedly waving his arms around in triumph, when suddenly the candy flew out of his hand, across the room, and he lost it again. Little dumbass.
Formerly a marketing writer, Mike now endures a #stayathomelife with his two sons, who he dubs Detective Munch, 8, and The Hammer, 2, while his wife, Heather, is the primary earner.
"I don't want to be a stay-at-home parent," he wrote this month to his Instagram followers, who now exceed 80,000.
The father-of-two said the responsibilities surrounding the existence of his boys were "destroying my social life".
As a way to cope with his new role, Mike publicly complains about parenting — while also offering advice on living with kids — on Instagram, Twitter, his blog, and a recently launched podcast he calls Dad and Buried.
"I just talk trash about parenting and my kids," he explained.
His candid, and often hilarious, insights into the challenges of child rearing have won him thousands of fans around the world, many of whom relate to the frustration and exhaustion that comes with being a stay-at-home parent.
But others have criticised his approach, describing him as "sick" and nasty to his children.
In one tweet, Mike explained the importance of teaching children there are consequences for their actions.
"This morning my son threw his iPad across the room in a fit of rage and now he doesn't understand why I won't let him use it," he wrote.
"IT'S CALLED CONSEQUENCES, MOTHERF***ER!"
I'M NOT CUT OUT FOR THIS
Mike is currently caring for his sons during their summer school holidays and claimed things hadn't got off to a great start.
"It's day two of my summer as a stay-at-home dad and I've already lost it on my kids," he said.
"Actually, I lost it at day 1.5. I'm not cut out for this."
In a mammoth post that has since attracted global attention, Mike revealed he didn't want to do be a parent because he lacks the temperament, patience and interest in the job.
"Circumstances being what they are, and summer being what it is, someone has to stay home with my kids all day," he wrote on Instagram.
"Mum … has done it for years, and now she's working and I'm not, so I'm back in the saddle."
But reluctance "and unsuitability" aside, Mike admitted he had no choice but to get better at it.
Mike also admitted he had accidentally punched his eight-year-old son in the face during a round of wrestling, leaving him with bloodied nose.
BUT I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE
According to Mike, he understands "I also don't have a choice".
"I don't want to have to find ways to fill my kids' days all summer," he wrote.
Doing stuff with your kids is like going to the gym: you don’t want to have to do it, and you don’t enjoy it *while* you’re doing it, but once you’ve actually done it? You feel like a million dollars.
