Is Your Kid Crying? Greg Pembroke Will Make It All Better

Parenting is never easy, so here's a little present for you.

Greg Pembroke, the mastermind behind the hilarious tumblr Reasons My Son Is Crying recently released a book compiled of photos of his and others' crying children, and it is everything we could have hoped. The concept is simple: snap a shot of your child crying and explain why they are melting down. Basic, right? But there is something so uproariously fantastic about this project that it will lift any stressed parent's spirits, no matter how unruly their beloved tot might be acting in the moment. The blog was picked up by Three Rivers Press and turned into the 2014 must-have gift for Mother's Day.

Warning: This book will make you laugh aloud, like a crazy person. No joke, the ladies in the office think I'm nuts because I laugh so loudly over this book. Pick up your copy here.

YourTango: What first inspired you to start documenting your kids' hilarious reactions?

Greg Pembroke: I have always liked finding the humor in all situations. When I started staying home with my boys part time, tantrums became a part of my daily life and I wanted to share that with family and friends.

YT: What does your wife think of the project? Does she get as big a kick out of it as the rest of us?

GP: She loves it - and especially loves seeing other people's photos from around the world. Neither of us can believe how widely shared our Tumblr has become. It's really remarkable!

YT: You've seen an incredible reaction to the project, with parents all around the world sending in pictures and stories. How did that make you feel, to have had such an impact?

GP: I get a ton of messages from parents around the world telling me that it comforts them to see that their child isn't  the only one crying for crazy reasons. I think that it's helpful to share these hilariously real moments to counterbalance the "perfect" pictures we see all day on our Facebook feeds. You see all the happy vacation and playtime portraits and you start to wonder if your kid is the only one who is crying because you can't stick the peel back onto his banana.

YT: What would you say to a parent who is struggling with a crying child (besides take a photo of them, naturally)?

GP: I think the best way to deal with it is to try and take yourself out of the moment ... to hover over your own body and analyze the situation as if it wasn't happening to you. After carefully studying and determining what type of tantrum it is, I'll usually respond by either hugging, ignoring, or distracting.  You'll quickly see if you made the right choice based on how they respond!

YT: Do you have one ultimate, favorite shot?

GP: My favorite picture in the book was actually taken years before the blog even existed.  When my boys met for the very first time - and my older son held his newborn brother. It was a sweet and tender moment. And then my older boy yelled happily in my newborn's ear and gave him his very first crying fit.  To me, it's just the perfect picture of what parenting and being brothers is all about!