Liam Payne has found fatherhood challenging.

Liam Payne

Liam Payne

The 'Strip That Down' hitmaker welcomed baby Bear into the world with his then-partner Cheryl Tweedy two years ago and he says he is "not afraid" to admit it has taken him time to adjust to his new role.

He said: "People make it out like a lightbulb comes on and suddenly you're a dad and it's like ... no. [Being a father] is something you have to learn and I'm not afraid to say it takes more than a f***ing minute to get your head around the idea of what it is."

And the 25-year-old singer admits the hardest bit is not being able to "understand" and communicate with his son.

He told the June issue of Esquire Middle East: "The not understanding is the most difficult bit especially when you have a toddler who doesn't understand how to communicate and you can't understand what they want."

Liam had previously revealed fatherhood isn't what he expected and he really "struggled" at the start.

Asked how life has changed since he became a dad, he said: "It changes everything. Sometimes I turn around and I look at him and he's like a little me. But he's actually morphing into a lot more of Cheryl's features now, the more he grows up. When he was born, she was like, 'I carried him for nine months and he's all bloody you!' Anyway, you become a lot more caring and responsible. Becoming a dad is difficult and I think a lot of people struggle. Dads don't really speak about it until you're part of the club and then they'll go, 'Oh, wait for this, that's in the post!' and you're all like, 'Oh, thanks for the warning!' Fatherhood was totally different to what I expected."