The Olympic sports of parenting

 

I've been a mum now for just over four years, and I've learnt that it take some serious stamina to keep up with a little one and a serious amount of patience (something I lack)- so I've compiled a list of parenting activities that I think should be Olympic sports.

Soft play

At some point you've got to go into the soft play area - either a) because your child has injured themselves b) they want you to do the big slide with them or c) it's time to go and your chasing your child around to get them out! It's an assault course, filled with tiny gaps to squeeze through and child sized slides that don't accommodate adult bums!

Weaning

This is target practice, in fact a moving target - a child shaking their head around because they don't want what's on the spoon. My two ended up with food all over their faces every meal time.

Nappy changes

Once your child is mobile, nappy changes become more challenging - almost every nappy change with both of my boys has resulted in them rolling over mid nappy change whilst I've had hold of their legs with one hand and I'm wiping with the other hand. 

Dressing a child

Both of my boys learnt very quickly to remove limbs from clothing once I'd put them in it - it's a race against time to get the clothes on before they decide to undress themselves!

Bath time

If you've your bathed your child and you didn't get wet you get a gold medal - if I put my two in the bath they pretend it's a swimming pool, if I stick them in the shower the youngest still thinks it's a swimming pool!

Bed time

If you've successfully got your child in their pyjamas the next mission is to get them into bed and encourage them to stay in bed - forget paying out to use a stair master at the gym - one night of constant up and down the stairs is your work out!

Cleaning up toys

No sooner do I put the toys in the box, then my child is then taking them out of the box - it's a race to see how fast I can pack them away and get the lid on the box before my child gets them all out again.

School run in the mornings

Once I've successfully got them dressed, I then have to get them out of the door, and walk them down the road - my eldest toddler races ahead whilst my youngest toddler likes to dawdle and look at everything - and I mean everything a tiny blade of grass requires investigation! 

Potty training

For me this a real test of parenting - it requires good mental strength as your child will certainly test your nerve as to who will cave first over using the potty.

I know as the boys get older the list will grow as we face new challenges, but I do think once your child reaches the age of 18 you should be given a gold medal for surviving the ordeal of parenthood!

Can you think of anything else for the list? I'd love to hear from you!