May 30 (UPI) -- Liam Payne says fatherhood is something he had to learn over time.
The 25-year-old British singer discussed the challenges of parenthood in the June issue of Esquire Middle East following his son Bear's second birthday.
Payne said Bear, his son with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole, is as "good as Goldilocks" but told the magazine fatherhood came with a steep learning curve.
"People make it out like a lightbulb comes on and suddenly you're a dad and it's like... no," he said. "[Being a father] is something you have to learn and I'm not afraid to say it takes more than a [expletive] minute to get your head around the idea of what it is."
The One Direction member said he's struggled with Bear due to the toddler's inability to verbally communicate.
"The not understanding is the most difficult bit," he said, "especially when you have a toddler who doesn't understand how to communicate and you can't understand what they want."
Bear celebrated his second birthday in March. Payne dedicated an Instagram post to Cole and his own mom on U.K. Mother's Day the same month.
"Happy Mother's Day to these two amazing super mums not sure what me and the little man would do without you xx," he wrote.
Payne came to fame with One Direction, which has been on an indefinite hiatus since December 2015. He last released the single "Polaroid" with Jonas Blue in October.