Francesca Hause has always loved drawing, but it wasnât until she became a mother that she turned her hobby into a full-blown comic.
Hause is the artist behind âLitterbox Comicsâ â a hilarious series focused on the ups and downs of life with small children. She told HuffPost she felt inspired to launch the comic in May 2018 after a particular afternoon watching âDaniel Tigerâs Neighborhoodâ with her two sons.
âIâd seen the episode a million times, so I was amusing myself thinking how funny it would be if something ârealâ suddenly happened â Mom Tiger losing her cool or Daniel dropping the F-bomb,â she said. âI wished I could watch a show like that. Then it hit me; I couldnât make a show, but I could make a comic!â
Hause had been writing âall the weird stuffâ her kids do in a notebook, so she had lots of material to get started. More than two years later, sheâs created hundreds of funny strips on topics ranging from parenting message boards to pediatrician visits. She continues to find inspiration from her boys, who are now 6 and 3.
âTheir comic counterparts are very much based on them,â she said. âThe eldest can be difficult, but heâs dangerously smart and lovable. The youngest is a little bumbling ray of sunshine â until he isnât. The 6-year-old is fascinated by the comics, although things have become more awkward now that he can actually read them!â
Hause, who is English but moved to Austin, Texas, 10 years ago, bounces ideas around with her husband, a fellow artist with a sense of humor. Heâs also the basis of the character Dad Cat.
âPeople often ask, âWhy cats?ââ she noted. âIn my first draft they were actually tigers, but I quickly realized drawing all those stripes would drive me mad! I considered other animals, but kept coming back to cats. Thereâs a lot of inner turmoil with parenting, and I love that cats let me show this visually with shirking pupils, bristling fur and tails! Iâm not really sure why, but Iâve never enjoyed drawing humans.â
Hause hopes parents who read âLitterbox Comicsâ get âsolidarity and a smileâ from the relatable scenarios and funny illustrations.
âMotherhood hit me like a ton of bricks, and the only way I survived that first year was thanks to humor,â she said. âParenthood can be a dark and lonely place, especially in 2020. I want people to feel seen and find relief in laughing at some of this nonsense.â
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hause wasnât sure what she wanted to do with the âLitterverseâ as she adjusted to life with remote learning and the âgeneral 2020 despairâ that began fogging up her brain.
âEventually I decided the best thing I could do for the world (and my own mental health!) would be to focus on the funny,â she said. âI purposely keep my comics current affairs free, because although whatâs been happening is important, itâs also important to take breaks and laugh.â
Keep scrolling and check out âLitterbox Comicsâ on Facebook and Instagram for more funny parenting art.