How parenting is like the Olympics

Parenting can be a little like the Olympics, if you think about it. Christine Stride finds similarities between the different events and life with little ones.

Spending all day at home looking after the kids can be a bit of a marathon. Attempting to finish chores or even just managing a trip (alone) to the toilet can often feel like a challenge, which, if accomplished, is worthy of a gold medal.

Start the morning with the decaff-alon, because you’re trying to give up caffeine for the sake of your breastfeeding baby. Then it's time for dressage – wrangling kids into clothes appropriate for the weather and said kids’ location for that day.

Before walking across the lounge, prepare for the long jump, triple jump or the hurdles over toys strewn across the floor.

Feel the burn, weightlifting's next - laundry baskets, children - interrupted by a 100m sprint to the toilet and back before anyone notices and loudly protests your absence.

At some point in the day you’re probably going to do the high jump to reach that toy you confiscated to a shelf earlier, or those parenting standards you foolishly set yourself.

At night it’s the relay with your partner in eating dinner while it’s hot and babycare.

We have synchronised swimming in the bath as older kids attempt to wriggle out of actually washing and not just playing.

Then it’s a matter of wrestling children into bed, and (gold medal here) shot put the baby to sleep first try!

Phew! Collapse on the couch with partner to analyse your performance on the uneven bars that are parenting reality vs expectations.

We’re too tired for the rhythmic gymnastics though ;)